The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version
by Tsubasa Kya
Summary: Prologue in profile. Inuyasha crossover. Sesshoumaru left Kagome to die in the new world and she just wants to go home. She meets new people on the way and decides Rin can't be left behind. Sesshoumaru is another story entirely. SesshoumaruKagome.
1. Part one

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

For Old Readers: I decided to change things so it is easier for you to get updates on your favorite version, instead of waiting five chapters. The prologue to this story is its own thing now, and each seperate version of the story will have its own "story" link this way.

For Newcomers: If you have not read the prologue to this story, please go to my profile. The prologue is not long and explains exactly how the Inuyasha characters ended up in a seperate world. You do not have to read the other versions if you do not want to, as I do not predict that they will cross in the future.

...great... this means I have 5 separate stories to write now, instead of the previously planned single story. Although, Feather may be pleased with this, as she really only wanted the Saiyuki version anyway.

* * *

Part One

"Well, it wasn't my fault," Kagome snapped at Sesshoumaru as she worked to start a fire. It wasn't working at all, they were alone in the middle of nowhere, and she was starving. Of course, having the insane half-brother of her best friend really didn't do anything to improve her mood.

Sesshoumaru still said nothing and simply glared at her. Of course starting a fire was incredibly difficult with only one hand to use. Damn Naraku bit her, and her whole arm was numb. "Stop staring at me like this is my fault!" she screamed and whipped the stone at him with her left hand.

He didn't bother to move. She missed anyway.

Of course, he looked no worse for wear, even though they both randomly fell out of the sky into the middle of nowhere with no sign of civilization whatsoever. Her first thought was, "Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore," but that pun went _right_ over Sesshoumaru's head.

She, on the other hand, was feeling rather faint. He still stared at her as if he had nothing better to do. "Okay," Kagome said as she pulled out the dagger Kouga insisted she carry (as a sign of his love). She peeled the haori of the miko garments off, attempting to ignore the attention-getting youkai.

Using the dagger, she managed to cut rather bad strips out of the haori, and Sesshoumaru finally spoke up. "Your undergarments do a terrible job covering you," he told her.

Her face turned red. "It's called a tank top; if you don't like it, don't look!" He still stared at her. "Okay, even if you _do_ like it, don't look!" she yelled, gripping the dagger tightly. Her white tank top was stained with blood and had rips and tears from her unintentional flying lesson.

He still stared at her. Now he was just trying to make her angry.

No thanks to an arrogant inu-youkai, she managed to pass out before she got the wound wrapped. Well, he figured, so much the better. She wasn't his problem, she wasn't his charge, and he wasn't her pet dog. He got up and left her in search of Rin.

Just a few hours later, three cloaked figures traveling through the forest came upon Kagome. They took pity on her and between the three of them they picked Kagome up and took her home to care for her.


	2. Part two

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part Two

The old man smiled down at Kagome and was the first thing she saw as she opened her eyes. His hairy face gave him a rather shaggy appearance but he was plump and appeared in good health. His gray eyes were nearly covered completely by his bushy white eyebrows.

She almost thought for a moment that she'd been the first to encounter the Great White Ape and then wondered what they would eat. She wouldn't like it much if they ate Kagomes. She rather liked not being eaten.

"Hello, child," he said in a crackly voice. "It ain't often I get visitors out here."

"Hello…" she started, her eyes wandering for a moment. The place wasn't much to look at. It would be lucky to be considered a big square box. But the lumpy bed was warm and her aches were a fading memory. "Where am I?" she asked the strange old man.

"My home, of course," the man laughed. "Children are funny creatures indeed."

'So are old people,' Kagome thought, but she put on a smile as she sat up. Her first objective was to look at her shoulder, remembering how Naraku had decided to have a little in-battle-snack. Her entire shoulder was scabbed but didn't have bandages on it.

"How long have I been out?" she asked the old man in the hope that he would know. She knew how long it took to heal just a minor scratch and Naraku had bitten her, piercing her flesh with those nasty teeth of his. Wounds like that would take a long time to heal, and though they weren't gone completely, they were certainly scabbed as if a lot of time had passed.

She attempted to move her arm; it was stiff but still mobile. "Just over a week." The man said. No wonder she had to pee so bad… She noticed he had a tray of food in his hands and that was when she realized she was starving. She pulled herself up and the man set the tray in her lap. "Eat up, child."

'Well, this looks appetizing,' Kagome thought as she peered at the soup. It had questionable meat and soggy vegetables in it, and the broth was thick like toothpaste. Still, she didn't want to seem rude to her host and at the moment she was so hungry that even the glop in the wooden bowl she was being served looked like a feast.

"What would a young child like you be doing out here?" he asked.

Kagome hesitated to tell him, but he seemed like such a sweet old man (if incredibly hairy). She thought about the way she ended up in this strange place. Inuyasha had sent a really powerful wind scar at Naraku's back, then Sesshoumaru re-routed Inuyasha's blow away from Naraku and the blast blew up the well.

Kagome guessed that whatever made the portal was that black flame and the well made out of the wood of a Goshinboku tree was the power that kept the magical portal balanced. When the blast blew up the entire well from the bottom to the top, the Goshinboku's power was no longer there to stabilize the portal and it went haywire.

"Well, you see," she started, but ended up interrupted. She supposed it was for the best. After all, going around and telling everyone she was from a magical 'nother' place was probably going to get her some really odd looks (and questions on her sanity).

Three strangely clad girls entered the small hovel. Jewelry garnished their frames from rings around their waists, wrists, fingers, and ankles, to rings sewn to their garments, and beads braided into their hair. They were all very beautiful women, and jingled quite literally with each step they took. Kagome admired their grace. Each of them wore white ruffled skirts, but the rings they wore were different kinds of metal. The tallest wore gold rings and had a pink shawl. Her eyes were brown and her hair was long, curly blond and she had the look of a leader in her eyes.

The second tallest, but plumpest of the three wore copper rings and had a baby blue shawl. Her brown hair and green eyes matched her face perfectly, giving her an adorable 'love me' look.

The third one was short and cheerful looking. She wore silver rings, had vibrant blond hair like the first except hers was straight like the second. Her blue eyes hardly rested on one thing for very long.

The girls spoke in strange accents, seeming to roll words around on their tongues for a longer time than any normal speech would. "Is she awake, father?" the eldest inquired of the old man.

The shortest whispered to the plump one, "She's very pretty."

The plump one whispered back, "And very thin…"

The old man chuckled and said, "She appears to be sitting up and everything." Kagome would have thought people would notice a certain 'wakefulness' around her, considering she indeed was sitting up, eating some glop, and had her eyes open. Where she came from, that was usually indication of being awake. Maybe this world was different though.

The eldest smiled. "Oh good, we were worried." Why? Wasn't Kagome just a stranger? Although she knew if she met someone all beaten up in the middle of nowhere, she'd probably worry, she also knew that logically the whole world wasn't that way.

"Chasa," said the smallest, "maybe we should let her alone for now?"

The eldest nodded in agreement. "Good idea Tzeatel," she looked at the plump one, "Sahri," she held out her hand. "I will take it." The plump one handed over a brown parchment wrapped item. The eldest, Kagome assumed her name was Chasa, walked forward and set the item on the end of the bed. "These are clothes for when you feel better." She said.

Kagome didn't know what to say. Thankfully they expected nothing from her. The old man ushered them out. Kagome took the opportunity to finish eating and climb out of bed to look at herself. She was in her underwear and her tank top. She had no idea where the miko garments she'd come through the portal in had gone, so she grabbed the package on the end of the bed and opened it.

Out of it, she pulled a white skirt much like what the girls had been wearing. It had strings of colorful beads that hung from the waist about to where her old school uniform would have ended at her thighs. The actual skirt fell to just above her ankles.

She put it on and then pulled out what she assumed to be the shirt. It had billowy sleeves, and one side of the sleeve went to her wrist while the other side dipped below her finger tips. The back had extra low hanging cloth, giving it a cloak like look, but it pulled on over her head. It was made out of the same white material the skirt was made out of. Bead strings a few inches in length were sewn to the hems of the shirt and skirt.

Around the hems also were bright red ribbons seemingly sewn into the hems of the sleeves and around the collar, to form bows at the high point of the sleeve hem and a bow where the tie on the uniform she used to wear would be. It was a very odd form of dress, but she was grateful to be covered. Her shoes were missing, and she already got the feeling that they would be a great loss.

She'd barely finished putting the clothes on when the old man came back in. "Those were my daughters, Chasa, Tzeatel, and Sahri. Well," he chuckled, "adopted…" she had noticed he looked nothing like them. "They are gypsies. Their mother came with them. She settled here," now he sighed (why was he telling her this?) and looked like he was very unhappy, "gypsies are wandering people… they don't often settle… I wish she hadn't. If she hadn't, it might not have happened."

"What might not have happened?" Kagome inquired, trying not to shift uncomfortably in the skirt. The bead strings by her ankles were tickling her legs. Sure, she did feel kind of pretty. But if pretty came at the expense of discomfort, she wasn't sure she liked it. Besides… she really had to go to the bathroom.

"Their mother was killed by youkai. For years, the village lived peacefully. Youkai and ningen got along, everyone was happy…and then suddenly all the youkai started attacking. Four villagers died instantly, eight others died later on. Many still haven't recovered." The old man pointed to a door. "I put a fresh pot of water in there. Feel free to wash up… When you're done, I have a request to ask of the Lady Warrior."

Kagome thanked him and made her way to the door. Inside she found a bathroom of sorts. 'Well, it's a little more civilized than Inuyasha's world, at least.' In some places all there had been was a hole in the ground surrounded by bushes. It wasn't pleasant. She was able to wash up using a bowl of cold water, but it was still something and she felt a little more comfortable afterward.

The old man was sitting at his small table in the other square room, and she shifted over to him. "How did you know I'm something of a warrior?" she asked him. 'Inuyasha would laugh at that statement,' she thought.

**Thank you for reading and please review! Ten reviews will get you another chapter.**


	3. Part three

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part Three

"I knew you were a warrior the minute I saw you," the old man confided. Kagome knew her surprise showed on her face. She didn't have the look of a warrior in her mind. She was small, scrawny, and still working on her aim with a bow. She was doing much better at channeling the spiritual purification power thanks to Kaede's training, but she constantly asked herself if that was enough.

If only Naraku hadn't killed Kaede… Even though Kaede said Kagome had learned all that the old priestess had to teach, Kagome still felt insecure. It was Kikyou's superiority that made Kagome insecure; Kikyou had always been better than her—even though she crumbled into dust near the start of the final battle with Naraku. She was the first he took out. When Kikyou crumbled, the stolen spirits all shot out of the shell and Kagome's soul fragment returned to her.

"What about me says I'm a warrior?" she asked.

He chuckled. "You carry a burden. I can see it in your features. You belong in the world of men." He reached out and grabbed her hands with his old, bony hands. His features showed no laughter. He was not happy. "Chasa, Tzeatel, Sahri… will you go with them, Lady Warrior? I fear their journey will be more hazardous than they say."

"Why?" she wanted to pull her hands away, feeling uncomfortable having this old man touching her. But she owed him respect for all he must have done for her, finding her and patching her up. "Where are they going?"

"They travel west in search of Genjyo Sanzo. It is the fault of Genjyo Sanzo that the youkai turned on our village." His eyes closed in remembrance. She hesitated to disturb him, but knew it had to be done.

"Who is this Genjyo Sanzo person?" Kagome asked, scrounging her mind for a time period in history when maybe there might have been record of anyone named Genjyo Sanzo. She came up blank—maybe she should have spent more time actually in school rather than basically home schooling herself and showing up for one or two classes…

"The Sanzo is a man of repute and power, and greatest of monks. However, the Sanzo in question, Genjyo Sanzo, has been corrupt. He drinks, smokes, gambles, wears his hair long and even carries a gun. He travels in the company of dangerous youkai whom he keeps as pets."

"Then why would your daughters go against such a dangerous man?" Kagome asked. What did he expect her to do exactly? She was pretty weak when it came to actually fighting. She'd probably freeze if asked to fight alone, and to pit her against a corrupt monk and his three youkai pets… she wouldn't make it home.

"Because they want revenge… even at the cost of their lives." She thought about their faces… they didn't seem like the faces of those who desired revenge. She'd seen it so often she'd be able to recognize it in a heartbeat, she was sure. After all, every single one of her companions had been fighting for revenge.

Kouga's pack was murdered. Sesshoumaru's ward was kidnapped and he was made a fool. Inuyasha was tricked many times and his love Kikyou was killed by Naraku. Sango lost everything because of Naraku. Miroku was cursed by Naraku.

"I believe in my heart that if you go with them, Lady Warrior, Chasa, Tzeatel, and Sahri will have a chance to survive."

'And my chances for death raises a hundred fold! Congratulations, winner of the death-filled vacation package!' She thought bitterly but she smiled. Maybe if she was lucky, she could find a way home before coming across this 'Sanzo' person. "I will need supplies…" The man already held up a bag. It was fashioned much like a messenger bag from her time. She blinked and pulled it over her shoulder. He then handed her quiver, bow, and dagger over to her. "Oh, I leave now?"

He nodded. "They already left, but if you travel fast and follow the western horizon, certainly you can run into them."

"Okay…" she said dubiously. The old man was awesome with the genius plans… "I suppose if you say so…" He ushered her outside and pointed toward what she guessed was west (geography was not her best subject… she had Inuyasha for that…). Without further word from that, he went back into the hovel and she sighed.

"Why do I always get myself into these situations?" she demanded before walking toward the edge of the small village. She could see the destruction that had been done to the village but it was an accumulation of more than just a single attack. Repairs were made on old repairs. It was sad, and she thought helplessly of all Naraku had ever done.


	4. Part four

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part Four

So, basically there was this evil monk who turned all the youkai against the humans, Kagome thought as she traveled down a beaten road barefoot. At least the road was mostly dirt and her bare feet weren't suffering entirely.

So if she found this evil monk, running away was an open option.

Yep, that solved it, she decided. She reached into the messenger bag. The man had spared her some food, some soap, and a small blanket (or was it supposed to be a towel?). She appreciated the fact that he spared her anything at all, and upon first sight of a small creek, she decided to test out the soap. After all, it had been over a week since she had a chance to bathe consciously, and that tiny wash that morning using a four inch deep water bowl as base for the bath… that just couldn't be counted.

For the wash, she used the small blanket (towel?) as a towel instead and scrubbed herself as clean as she could. After all, there was no one around, so she had nothing to fear from peepers, and she kept her clothes on as she washed so they could be scrubbed too.

When she was done, she dressed again and set off with the towel wrapped around her shoulders. It was getting chilly as the sun began to set and she felt little hope of catching up to the gypsy women. She supposed she could create a shikigami to carry her around like Kikyou did, but the thought of doing things like Kikyou made her sick.

But still, a shikigami could fly her faster than her feet could carry her… no. She couldn't. She _wouldn't_.

Kagome was surprised then to hear familiar rumbling. It surprised her because she didn't expect to hear the noise of a car coming toward her, especially since she didn't think she was that far ahead in time. She moved to the side of the road and waited to watch it pass.

It was a jeep, with four people in it. The two people in the back were being assaulted by the passenger in the front. She did find that odd. It passed and she began walking again, but suddenly it came careening to a halt and Kagome was able to catch up with it within moments.

"Hello there," the one with the monocle smiled and she couldn't help but grin in return. In the back seat, a cheerful teen who wore poky armor and a long cape-like thing was beaming as if he won something, and held a very ripe bit of fruit in his hand. He crammed it in his mouth, munching happily.

"Beautiful lady, where are you headed?" the red-head asked smoothly. She felt a blush grace her cheeks.

"Let's go," grumped the front passenger. He wore long robes and had some sort of scroll like thing hanging around his shoulders much like her towel was around hers.

The green eyed driver chuckled. "Now now, is it polite to leave a lady walking barefoot out in the middle of nowhere?"

Kagome felt herself turn even redder. The teen asked with a full mouth, "So where are ya goin'?"

"I'm not exactly sure," she admitted. "I was just told to follow the western horizon, really." Hm, maybe her ultimate destination should be finding Sesshoumaru and Rin? She knew the black flame sucked them into a world of paths and that Kagome had followed Sesshoumaru, and Rin had followed her. They all went down the same path, but didn't know where everyone else was.

No harm in asking, she supposed. "Have you seen a really tall guy who looks like a girl?" He'd kill her if he ever found out she described him that way. She measured his approximate height with her hand—about a foot and a half taller than her. "He's about yay high and struts around with a big fluffy boa on his shoulder." She figured since he was nowhere to be seen, he must have left her after she fell unconscious—the jerk. He would certainly get a mouth full when she came across him…

They thought for a moment, and she decided to give them a little more information. After all, the world was only round and filled with billions of people. Surely someone like Sesshoumaru would _only_ be recognized by a properly given description. And who better to give that description than Sesshoumaru's _friend_. 'Ha, the jerk,' she thought.

"He carries two swords, wears fifty pound armor made of bone, and is a self-absorbed, egotistical, conceited jerk who I'm fairly positive thinks he rules the world."

"Kougaiji sounds like that," laughed the young brown haired boy. "Well, a little anyway, 'cept the swords and armor."

"Oh, his name is Sesshoumaru. He's also only got one arm, and he's criminally insane and in need of psychiatric evaluation and treatment." They gave her a confused look for a moment. "Ohm…he's youkai," that was safe enough, since the old man did say youkai were in existence in this world… "He's got gold eyes like that boy there, and silver hair down to his knees."

"We haven't seen anyone like that," the driver stated. "Where were you headed? We could give you a ride if you like."

"Oh, like I said, I was just told to follow the western horizon." Her mother did warn her not to take rides from strangers but surely exceptions needed to be made. After all, though it seemed highly unlikely that it would happen to her, if they tried to do anything with her unwillingly, she could just channel her spiritual essence and give them a lesson to learn. "I thank you for your kind offer, and I accept."

She didn't expect that to start a wrestling match in the back seat passengers. The brown haired one and the red head were arguing over who would get to sit by Kagome. "If it's a problem," she began.

"Nonsense," said the driver cheerfully. Within moments the robe wearing man had smacked the back seat passengers around with a fan and the argument was sorted out. Kagome would sit between the two. She quickly unstrung her bow, coiled the string and stuck the string in her provided bag, and then accepted the red headed man's offer for help getting in the jeep.

Awkward silence passed for the first few minutes. It was nice to be in a car for a change rather than flopping around like a flag hanging from Inuyasha's back. Unfortunately, she did find it awkward to be accepting a ride from strangers after growing up with the rule of never getting into a stranger's vehicle.

Of course, at the time that the rule was instated, Kagome's mother had no way of knowing that Kagome would someday travel to some far distant era, break a jewel, fix a jewel, break a well, then get transported to yet another world in which she was quite positive she did not belong.

The boy on her left broke the silence. "Hi! I'm Son Goku. I like eating."

The man on her right snorted. "You also like being annoying." He muttered.

Goku heard the comment. "And you like being a bastard!" Goku spat, and suddenly Kagome realized being between the two would be like being between Kouga and Inuyasha.

"Oh, Goku-san, if you like eating, I have some fruit from the old man." She dug through the bag and pulled out some fruit, handing it to him. He appeared happy and ate it. "My name is Kagome Higurashi, by the way. I like to study ancient artifacts and determine the nature of their mystical power…although I haven't had much luck with it."

"It sounds like a lovely profession, Higurashi-san," the driver said as he looked back for a moment with a smile on his face. The car jostled back and forth on the road before he looked back toward the road and they continued on. "I am Cho Hakkai. I also enjoy such studies. Do you find that the nature of many artifacts is simply a reflection of the caster that enchanted the item or would you say it takes on its own personality and after the original caster dies, begins to develop and mold its own form of energy?"

"That's a rather philosophical question, really, Hakkai-san, but that's one of the many that I've been trying to answer. Granted, I've only been looking into this for a few months and in traveling with my companions I haven't had much time for it… but when I've completed my journey, I'll have all sorts of free-time. I'll probably do freelance work at my grandfather's shrine, analyzing the historic items we have."

"You ain't from around here are you?" the red-head asked. "I'm Sha Gojyo anyway."

She blushed profusely and her laughs came in sudden nervous hiccups. "Um, no… is it that obvious?" 'Has Japan been found in this place? Does it even exist in this world? Am I still in the real timeline?'

"Well, ya look like a gypsy and ya got a funny accent." Goku said. "Thanks for the fruit, Higurashi-san!"

"Please, call me Kagome, all of you. And you're very welcome." Her blush was only more obvious after his gypsy comment. She wasn't sure why it was embarrassing. Thankfully they drove into a town so any more commenting seemed suspended. When they stopped in front of a tavern and inn, she decided to part ways with them to ask around town for Sesshoumaru and Rin.

"Thank you for the ride." She bowed to them in respect and as she stood up she wondered who the robe guy was. He seemed pretty important, but she never got his name.

"It was our pleasure." Hakkai said, smiling as his jeep suddenly transformed into a tiny dragon that came to rest on his shoulder.

As far as asking around town, all she came back with were strange rumors about how youkai were dangerous and should be given a wide berth. She wasn't sure what to make of it, at least until Kagura made herself known. The youkai's cold crimson eyes sent shivers down Kagome's spine and she realized she was alone. She reached for the bag to take out her bow string, but Kagura snapped open her fan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, miko," she said. Kagome gulped. She'd faced a few youkai on her own, but not that many, and Kagura was a very strong one. She pulled her hand back out of the bag, defiantly bringing her bowstring with.

"Well then I guess it's just such a good thing you're not me, eh, Kagura?" Kagome smiled and bent the bow around her leg, attaching the string swiftly just as Kaede made her practice a million times until she got it right. "Besides. You just wouldn't fit the proper job description of a miko, in that you kind of need a _heart_ and all that."

Kagura snapped her fan closed in irritation. "Look, miko, I didn't come here to argue with you. I didn't even come to fight. Naraku didn't come out of the black flame; I'm free. I just wanted you to know that so you and your pets don't come after me."

"Are you sure he didn't come out of the black fire?" Kagome asked. Naraku had a knack for making people think he wasn't there when really he was. He was brilliant at pretending he didn't exist and blending in with crowds. And Kagura was known for her disregard of Naraku and her constant struggle to go against him.

"I know he didn't. The only ones who made it through the black fire were you and me. You were the only one I saw in the black fire, so I followed you through."

Kagome frowned and leaned on her bow. "You saw me in the black fire?" She hadn't seen Kagura. She saw only Rin and Sesshoumaru. How did that work?


	5. Part five

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part Five

It was definitely something that would require much contemplation, of that Kagome was certain. She had seen Sesshoumaru and Rin in the black fire, not Kagura, yet Kagura had seen her and not Sesshoumaru and Rin. And upon entering the black fire, Rin had the completed Shikon no Tama. This posed a dangerous threat to whatever world they were in now.

It stood to reason that Sesshoumaru could very well have seen any of the others—that neither Kagome, nor Kagura had seen. The same went for Rin. But if none of them saw any others in the black fire, did that mean the others had not ended up in this strange new world where cars and youkai existed?

"Has anyone ever told you that you look sad when you think?" Kagura asked. Kagome blinked and looked at Kagura again. Oh that was right, she was standing in front of Kagura, her fated enemy by association.

Kagome rubbed her hand on her forehead, but still gripped her bow tightly. She couldn't trust Kagura no matter how well known Kagura's attempts at betraying Naraku were. Just like she couldn't trust Sesshoumaru, even though he was working toward the same goal as they were. Not trusting _him_ was a no-brainer, since the jerk _left her to die!_

Kagura snapped her fan open again, and Kagome realized that doing so wasn't actually a show of intimidation, but more of a nervous tick. Kagome sighed. Kagura could very well be one of the keys she would need to go back home. If she was ever told one day that she could get sucked into a broken portal and transferred to an unknown world because she had traveled to the past, she would never have continued her journey to retrieve the jewel shards.

"I know you and I aren't friends, Kagura," Kagome started, "I mean, you tried to kill me a few times, and my friends, and did kill a lot of Kouga's friends…" That was going off topic, and Kagura appeared to be getting annoyed at her procured list of Kagura's misdeeds. "What I'm trying to say is, for now, we should put our enmity aside and help each other so we can," Kagura cut her off with a heavy flick of her fan. The small wind burst cracked a nearby house window.

"Ha!" Kagura laughed. "You want to suggest leaving this world?" At Kagome's nod to the affirmative, Kagura plucked a feather from her hair. She held it between her fore- and middle-finger. "What reason would I have to desire to leave? I am free here. Naraku did not leave the black fire."

She appeared to be about to make her hasty flight departure as she usually did, but Kagome panicked. She wanted to go home. She was sick of time-travel. The sight of another portal, and she swore she would vomit—after getting home of course. "Kagura wait!" she said, dropping her bow to grab the hanyou's arm. "I never saw you in the black fire! I saw Sesshoumaru and Rin! What if those two saw Naraku come out, even if we didn't?"

Kagura snapped her fan closed and pulled her arm away from the desperate miko. Seeing that she had Kagura's attention, she continued on with a sense of growing urgency. "I really think its possible Naraku is here, but seeing those paths in the black fire got me thinking that maybe the black fire was a portal to all sorts of different worlds. In that case, it is fully possible that Naraku is in some world we've never known of. But there is still the chance that he is here. And I really want to go back to my own world."

Kagura frowned. "Fine. You have my attention for now, but this does not mean once I have heard all you have to say that I will do anything. I am concerned only with my well-being."

"Oh, thank you!" Kagome found herself hugging the wind youkai with a fervor that belied their enemy status. Kagura pulled herself away with disgust and put her feather back in her perfect bun. Kagome picked her discarded bow up again. "You won't regret it, Kagura. I promise."

"I already am." Kagura stated in the affirmative. She grabbed Kagome's hand. "Let us make this quick and painless." She began dragging Kagome through the streets, and Kagome could only follow, unsure of where Kagura was taking her. Then they were in front of the inn that those nice people who had given Kagome a ride had gone into.

Kagura pulled her inside, an impassive look on her face as she pulled Kagome to an empty table. She had Kagome sit down, and then Kagome watched helplessly as Kagura went into a back room through a door to do who-knew-what. Kagome sat there, unsure of herself and fidgeting as a few people stared at her.

She got the idea in her head that it was her odd form of dress that got her looks, though she began wondering what her old school uniform would get her in this world. She could see some girls with short skirts, though it appeared to be a part of their waitress uniform.

Left alone for so long, Kagome began to let her thoughts drift. Unsurprisingly, Sesshoumaru came to mind. She was fair ticked at him. Honestly, who walked away from a severely injured person after they fell unconscious? He could have at least disdainfully kicked her awake or something, but he didn't even do that much.

No, he just decided her life was worthless. Not to mention the fact that without her, he wouldn't be able to get back to his world. She was pretty positive of that much. Well, okay, with the well broken and the portal sucking things in from all over the place to send it to who knew where, she wasn't so sure she really was needed.

But damn it, she felt better thinking it, so she was going to keep on thinking it. And she was going to get revenge on Sesshoumaru. She would have helped him, if it were him. But of course, he had no problem falling from a million feet up—exaggerations aside, of course—and landing perfectly healthy, not a scratch. She hadn't been so lucky.

She thought about how the arrogant inuyoukai had come into the final battle, and that only made her angrier. Her fists clenched. She should have let Inuyasha fight Sesshoumaru. The arrogant inuyoukai thought he could just waltz into Kaede's hut and sit down as if for all the world he belonged there and had been there for years when he most definitely hadn't.

The last time they had seen him, he had kicked Inuyasha in the face, then walked off, insulting Inuyasha's worth all the while he did it. Then Sesshoumaru thought he could just go in and join their battle preparation. Then, to top off the bowl of ice Sesshoumaru brought with just his presence, he layered it with a sauce of superiority, saying the others could just watch him defeat Naraku.

Even when Kouga joined the group a few days prior, he hadn't been like that. Yeah, Kouga and Inuyasha had butt their heads together a bit because of their dominating 'pack' senses, desiring to be leaders and being so similar it caused them to argue a lot, but Kouga hadn't even caused as much a raucous with his presence.

Sesshoumaru simply came, said a few words, and made Inuyasha go ballistic. And when their solid battle plan was formed ("Let's go in there and hack the sucker to bits while swinging a sword too big for us in frantic motions!") Kagome had been about to go home for an hour to say goodbye to her family, just in case.

Of course, the others let her go alone, knowing she'd desire the time and the well wasn't terribly far from the village anyway. Naraku was at the well, waiting for her, masking his appearance as an old crone. She could sense Naraku as a demon in disguise—and the jewel shards were really hard to miss—and immediately screamed out for the others hoping they'd hear her calling.

Naraku gave up the disguise and shot toward her with the speed of a bullet, pinning her down as he took her shards and ate them. Then the others came. Sesshoumaru whipped at Naraku without care that if he cut through Naraku with that poison whip, he'd likely hit her too.

"Damn it, Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha had yelled, using Tetsusaiga to deflect that blow. It seemed that no matter what, Sesshoumaru was just trying to kill her. It wouldn't kill him to show a little compassion or concern for the person who would have to purify the jewel at the end!

"Stupid Sesshoumaru," Kagome groused as Kagura interrupted her musings by placing a tray in front of her. It had what smelled like potato soup on it, as well as a glass of milk and some bread. She gave Kagura a thankful look, and was surprised to see the pristine checked-colors kimono Kagura wore to be covered by a white apron with frills.

Kagura took the seat opposing Kagome, and Kagome really had no idea what to say except, "Why are you, of all people, wearing an apron?"

"Hn," Kagura started, "To protect my kimono of course. Why else?"

"But why… I mean, you never really strike as the cooking type." Kagome watched Kagura roll her eyes as though saying 'After all I have had to do for Naraku.' "Well, it's true. You don't seem like a working type either, regardless that you've followed a few orders."

"I enjoy work as long as it is beneficial to me rather than others." Kagome couldn't really understand. As far as Kagome could see, Kagura wearing an apron and looking something like a waitress at a tavern didn't appear to benefit her in any way. She shrugged it off anyway and uttered a quick prayer to bless her food before starting in on it.

"So what are you doing here, Kagura?" Kagome asked between bites, pushing her long hair behind her ear. Her bow was leaned up against the table, and that seemed to be attracting some attention from the locals, although not as much attention as Kagura's beauty apparently brought. "Here, I mean. In this place."

Kagura sighed and then realized there was no help for it. She would have to fess to Kagome or the woman wouldn't ever get to her point. Threats apparently didn't work on Kagome, as had been proved in the past she only got fired up with threats on her head.

Snapping her fan open in irritation, Kagura began her very short tale. "When the black fire spit me out, I created my feather carrier and came down to land safely." Of course a wind youkai would not be harmed by something so small as _falling_. "I had landed in the streets here. Many people saw me coming down and the silly things decided I was an angel because of my white feather carrier."

Kagome held back a giggle. Yes, it was an absurd notion. Kagura being an angel? But Kagura really knew how to make tasty soup that was for sure. And the bread was perfect too; not too hard and not too gummy. "Ok, then what?" Kagome urged Kagura to continue.

"They gave me a place of honor here among the city and begged of me to stay here. I was a gift from the heavens, brought to save them from the youkai who have gone insane." Well, if one thing was questionable, it was the sanity of the humans in the town. Kagura's crimson eyes were a dead giveaway, or at least should have been anyway. "Two days after I came, youkai attacked. It was beneficial to me to rid the town of them."

Of course it would be. If she did nothing, the town would view that badly and she wouldn't be worshipped anymore. Kagura continued, "In the attack, some humans perished and that included those who owned this tavern. I told the humans I would be staying, and that I would take over this place to continue its use. The humans readily agreed"—who wouldn't?—"and since then, this has become the most profitable tavern in the city. When I felt your aura, I decided I needed to confront you."

"Wow. Sounds like you've got it really nice here." Kagome said. Kagura nodded her head sharply. Kagome went on, "But that still doesn't change the fact that Naraku may have come through the black fire." She polished off her bowl of tasty soup and bread and milk. "We need to find Rin and Sesshoumaru to find out what they saw in the black fire. You might not want to go home, but this may be my only way!"

Kagura snapped her fan closed again. For a moment she closed her eyes as if contemplating the plus and minus sides of helping Kagome. She hoped the wind youkai would help, but it was never a sure thing with Kagura.

Kagome sighed. "There's a great evil in this world too," Kagome told Kagura. That got Kagura's attention and she opened her eyes to look at Kagome harshly. "I don't know if Naraku came through, but apparently there is a great monk named Sanzo who turned all the youkai against humans." Kagura noticed that the ears of the table behind Kagome had perked in their direction, but ignored it. Gossip was gossip.

"Really." Kagura drawled without any real care. "Let me tell you something I have learned in my stay here. There are five monks named Sanzo who keep the balance of apparent good and evil—or so this is what I have been told by the town head. So, dear miko, what was the great monk's name again?"

Kagome blushed profusely and glared at Kagura for being so cold to her. "I was told his name was Genjyo Sanzo and that he keeps three youkai for pets." Kagura's eyes wandered to a slight commotion at the table behind Kagome. A brown haired boy and a black haired man were restraining a man with red hair. "The old man who found me had three adopted daughters whose mother was killed by youkai, so recognizing me for a fighter"—Kagura snorted in disdain at that—"hey!" Kagome said in annoyance, "I've been pulling my own weight for the last year whether or not Inuyasha admits it. I could turn you into a dust cloud instantly and you know it!"

Kagura glared at Kagome. It was true, Kagome had been getting a lot of lessons from Kaede before the old woman passed away a few weeks ago. Kaede had proclaimed Kagome to know all she had to teach. Granted, Kagome by no means considered herself a master at the arts, since Kaede never learned everything, but she understood the concept at least, and that opened a lot of doors for her, and her aim was decidedly better.

Satisfied that Kagura was settled again, Kagome continued, "Look, all I know is that the old man's three daughters decided to go after this evil monk, and that I've been asked to follow the girls. I really don't want to meet this monk if he's evil enough to turn all youkai against humans. I have enough trouble with Naraku to be worrying about some other world's great evils!"

Kagome slumped back in her chair and thought longingly of home. She had a nice pink blanketed bed, food whenever she was motivated enough to go to the fridge, television and movies to watch with her younger brother, and a kiss every night on the cheek from her grandpa.

Why the heck did she end up being the one who fell into a magical portal? How come she had the misfortune to be the reincarnation of some ancient and vengeful priestess? Why did she fall in love with a hanyou (ex-lover to the priestess), get a jewel ripped from her body, find a young kitsune youkai who she adored, find a perverted, cursed monk, find a demon slayer and her neko youkai, meet the murderous half-brother of the hanyou she fell in love with, nearly get murdered by said half-brother (several times), meet a dumb love struck ookami youkai (and get kidnapped by him), and end up in a battle against an evil hanyou who had desires to rule the world?

Why did it have to be her? This wasn't exactly her idea of a world-class vacation.

"Hmph." Kagura snapped her fan open and closed again. "So what do you want from me?"

"I just want to go _home_." Kagome pouted. "If you can help me by finding Sesshoumaru, that'd be great! I'll go to him, find out what he knows, and then maybe I can get home. I know Rin is here too, so finding her should find Sesshoumaru." Kagome refrained from telling Kagura that Rin had the jewel. It was Kagome's guess that the jewel was too far away to be sensed, or Kagome would have started following that. But there was no telling what Kagura would do with the knowledge of an unprotected jewel without Naraku there to order her around.

Kagura nodded sharply. "I will help you, but I will do it my way. If I find either of them, I will come find you. However, I recommend you search as well, and when you leave this world, I am staying." Kagome nodded to those terms. "I will give you a place to rest tonight here. Tomorrow you will leave." Kagura stood swiftly and pulled her feather out of her hair.

"Thank you Kagura." Kagome said gratefully. Kagura waved a girl over and told her to show Kagome to a room. Kagome was grateful to finally lie down. The day had been exhausting, and her shoulder was aching where Naraku bit her.

Once in the room, Kagome took her skirt and shirt off, carefully folding the two articles of clothing up and placing them on a wooden chair in the room beside the bag the old man gave her and her bow and quiver. Now in only her blood stained tank top and her underwear, she examined the bite mark. It would definitely end up scarring in a nasty way.

With nothing to help for it, Kagome lay down atop her covers and curled up. Soon, with Kagura's help, Kagome could go home. And then, jewel or no jewel, she was never going to time-travel again. It was already proven to be too dangerous. Why test fate again? After all, sure, she had made friends, but she'd fallen out of love with the cute hanyou. The one she'd miss the most was Shippou. But it couldn't be helped.

Soon she'd fallen asleep, and during sleep she didn't hear her door creak softly open.

xXx

Sanzo grumbled as he let the top of his robes fall around his waist, revealing a lean, muscled torso covered by a stretchy black material. It was bad enough they had the earlier 'pick up lonely girl' fiasco, but to have to share a bedroom with the three idiots… Surely the only one of the three that was remotely salvageable was Hakkai.

He sighed. Life couldn't get any worse. And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that he hadn't had a smoke in a day. Gojyo had been sent to pick up some supplies, but he probably got side-tracked by some woman.

Across from him, Hakkai was also preparing for bed. Two futons were rolled out on the floor. That was where Goku and Gojyo would sleep, since Hakkai won fair and square at picking straws to take a bed and Sanzo simply beat all argument out of Goku and Gojyo that he _would_ have a bed even if he had to purify them to get it.

So with Goku pouting on his futon, his armored cape removed to sit in the corner of the room, and Gojyo not yet returned from a smoke shopping trip, Sanzo sat on his bed. He placed his gun under his pillow and began thinking about what he'd heard that evening.

The girl they picked up on the road appeared to be some sort of miko, and a foreigner. She'd talked about a black fire of some sort that she came through, but he had no idea what the hell that would indicate. She was a mystery, and he hated mysteries. Honestly, whoever came up with the idea of something being mysterious should die by Sanzo's hand—or gun, either way worked fine.

She also seemed to think that Sanzo was evil, and while he wasn't a saint, he wouldn't use the particular word 'evil' either. And flattering though it may be to say such, he did have to agree with the others' indignation at being called pets. He would be honest with himself (if not them) and say they were worth a slightly greater value than pets. Servants maybe…

"So what did you think about that woman?" Hakkai asked in his most serious tone of voice. His eyes were shadowed as he asked the question, proving the point that he himself wasn't sure what to think of her as yet. Being a very logical type of person, Hakkai liked to know all the facts before he decided on something.

Goku, still pouting, slumped onto his pillow. "I still say she's nice." Goku's stomach was usually his brain's deciding factor, and the woman had fed Goku. In all points, that generated loyalty in the monkey. He seemed to believe that anyone who fed him was a good person.

Sanzo wondered if it would help to have Goku wear a sign that said "Do not feed animal". Sanzo liked Goku enough to want the kid to stay out of trouble, not that he'd ever admit it. Goku had become almost like son-material, even though for all honest records, Sanzo was several hundred years too young (and human) to be Goku's father. Again, not that Sanzo would _ever_ admit it.

"Subtracting the fact that she gave you food," Hakkai pointed out kindly, "what do we know of her, Goku?" Sanzo lay back on his bed, his body craving nicotine. Unless he felt he had something to add to the conversation, he wasn't going to sit there and chat.

Goku mumbled into his pillow. Hakkai waited patiently for Goku to stop acting childish, and silence stretched for a moment. Then, Goku sat up and hugged his pillow to his body, his legs folded under him. "She's a nice lady. She's been misled into thinking we're evil by some old guy. She likes to study ancient artifacts for their mystical properties or something like that! She's a nice lady!" His voice kept getting louder as he spoke.

Hakkai sighed. "This may be, but," Hakkai was interrupted by a very loud, very feminine scream.

Goku shot up, recognizing the screaming to belong to the 'nice lady' they were currently discussing, and the screams were in the next room over. He was about to race out of the room when suddenly the wall shattered and a grubby youkai rolled into a heap in the room, bleeding profusely from a wound on his chest that looked weird—like both a dangerous cut and a purification burn all at once.

Ignoring Goku, Sanzo, and Hakkai who for a second stared in confusion, the youkai shuffled to his feet, holding one hand to the wound as he hissed in pain. "Don't toy with me, bitch!" the youkai snapped at the hole in the wall.

A second later and the woman they had been discussing stepped up to the hole, her bedspread wrapped around her for the sake of modesty, though her wrap job was hasty and they could see that she was in her undergarments only beneath that. She had a dagger in her hand with a blade at least a foot long, and the blade glowed a soft pink.

As Kagome stepped through the hole, her eyes took in the room and the occupants. She ignored the youkai for a second to bow to Goku, Sanzo, and Hakkai in apology. "I'm very sorry about this!" she said. "You may wish to leave for a few moments." She really didn't want to involve them, and felt bad enough to have broken into their privacy.

Goku was the first to find his voice. He glared at the youkai, "What happened, Kagome-san? Did this bastard hurt you?" He instantly launched into the defensive over Kagome, but her snickering left the three surprised.

Kagome explained, her eyes on the youkai now, "I was surprised, yes. Hurt, not quite." She stepped closer to the youkai and he scrambled backward, suddenly afraid of the dark blue eyed miko. When his back came into contact with the wall, she loomed over him for a moment, her dagger gleaming with the pink glow and with blood. Then she knelt in front of him, sliding so her face was very close to his. He looked about to piss his pants, and she simply looked cheerful. "I will ask you one more time…"

He cringed and as his heart began racing, more blood pumped from the wound. "I don't know!" he cried.

She grinned. "Oh, I think you do. _Why_ were _you_ in my _room_?"

"I don't know!" he again cried.

Kagome, still smiling, tried to imagine what Sesshoumaru would do to extract the information. She wasn't sure why it was his methods she was trying to imagine—probably because she already knew Kouga and Inuyasha's ways simply resulted in the person dying before any information was given out.

She decided to try a Sesshoumaru-like approach, though she was skeptical it would work for her. She brought the glowing dagger to the youkai's eye level, well aware of where the room's other occupants were and that they were watching her closely. Why hadn't they left yet? Shouldn't seeing a youkai scare them witless?

After all, if there was an evil monk turning youkai against humans, what made these people so confident to stay? "Then you are of no use to me," she told the youkai cheerily and slowly—meticulously—brought the dagger closer to the youkai's left eye. His flesh started burning before the dagger even touched him as the pure energy licked out at him. She had to strain from wincing at his pain, and wanted to pull away.

How could Sesshoumaru stand it? Causing pain to others?

"Gah, no! No!" he screamed, "I'll talk! I'll talk!" She had to hold herself back from cheering hurrah and dancing a jig. It worked. No wonder Sesshoumaru was so scary and so many rumors about him being the Killing Perfection went around. It was an _art_.

She pulled back the dagger. "Then talk." She said. He shouldn't have woken her up, she thought decidedly. She was weird without her beauty sleep. Even Inuyasha had learned not to wake her without at least eight hours sleep.

"All I know is that there's a big reward for bringing the jewel back! I swear, I swear that's all I know!"

She frowned, her elation over a successful threat disappearing. "Bringing the jewel back to where?" she demanded.

"A meeting spot, six miles south! In the forest by a waterfall! He said he'd be there at sunrise and the one with the jewel would be well rewarded!"

She leaned back on her heels and then stood up, adjusting the blanket closer around her body. "Do you even know what the jewel is?" she inquired curiously. It sounded to her as if the guy didn't, and would just take any jewels she had on her.

"The Shikon no Tama!" he said panicking, although he wasn't squirming as much with her standing back from him now. Her heart sunk into her stomach. Was Naraku in this world? If he was… that was bad news. How else would anyone know of the Shikon no Tama? Unless this world was a part of her timeline, somehow. "But they never told us you'd be dangerous, I swear!"

She turned her back on him. "Go to your meeting and tell whoever you're after that the Shikon no Tama is off limits and the next person sent after it will die." The youkai didn't wait before taking off. Again, Kagome bowed to Sanzo, Goku, and Hakkai. "I'm really sorry," she said.

Goku was confused. "What's the Shikon no Tama?" he asked.

"It's an enchanted artifact that is very dangerous." She sighed. No help for it now. She settled for explaining it, but the monk (she hadn't learned his name yet, had she?) spoke up, a curious tone to his voice.

Sanzo didn't like the turn of events. He preferred knowing what was happening, but in this case, he was sure whoever the youkai would be meeting would have to do with the resurrection of the youkai Gyumaoh. "The Shikon no Tama is an ancient artifact from the islands of Japan. It was formed by the miko Midoriko when she cast a spell that caused thousands of demons to be trapped within her soul. Her soul—unable to bear the strain—then hardened into the jewel known as the Shikon no Tama. Its power can amplify a youkai's strength and it has the power to grant wishes."

Kagome nodded. "Yep, that's the gist of it." So this world was connected to her own?

"But the last known Guardian disappeared with the jewel before her twentieth year." Sanzo continued, his voice hardening slightly as he put two and two together. "That was over a hundred years ago." She'd talked about _worlds_ and _black fire_. He was pretty sure that meant somehow… some way… she had traversed through time. They were looking at the very same miko who had disappeared.

Kagome sighed yet again. Now there really was no help for it. She shifted the blanket, still very aware she was nearly naked beneath it. But it gave her a timeline at least. She seemed to be somewhere around three and four hundred years behind her own time now.

"I'm going to get dressed, and then if you like I'll explain myself." They watched her walk through the hole, and then Goku puffed up in a smug manner.

"Told you she was a nice lady," he said.

Hakkai chuckled in an almost dark fashion, as if he still wasn't convinced. Sanzo was coming to his own conclusions about her though. She was the miko, he was sure of it. Anyone as powerful as she had been, to have her rumors widespread throughout even China, deserved a lot of credit. And the more he thought about it, the more sure he became.

She'd made mention of someone named Naraku earlier that evening. "Naraku" was what they called the great evil that the miko had defeated. Now, Sanzo wasn't one to ever feel awed by legends. He'd met a few legendary people in his life, but they were nothing spectacular being that they were old and decrepit. But her? Now that he knew to look for it, he could feel the hidden sway of her massive, pure aura. She was legendary… He didn't let it show on his blank features, but…

She walked back into the room and he felt a stirring in his soul. She was beautiful. He couldn't help but stare. She noticed his staring and her cheeks pinked.


	6. Part six

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part Six

Kagome didn't know what to say to these three people, and it became even harder to talk when the fourth man, the one she remembered being so helpful to her, came into the room. Silence extended almost unbearably before the red-haired Gojyo asked, "Why is the wall broken?"

Apparently having a near complete stranger in his room was not a problem, although given the looks he gave her, she supposed it was more of a Miroku thing. If she was a woman, it didn't matter how invasive of privacy she was.

"Sorry about that," Kagome said, bowing to Gojyo in apology. He looked even more confused than originally. "It's my fault." She sighed, Kagura would probably kill her, but hey, this could very well be a turn of the century idea to the door connecting one hotel room and another. Wow, Kagome had such an impact on history.

With silence becoming nearly unbearable, Kagome changed her mind about telling them of the Shikon no Tama and how it came into her possession. She also didn't want to admit that she didn't have the jewel anymore. She only hoped Rin had it still, though given how protective of the jewel and how brave Rin had been against Naraku, Kagome supposed Rin would try keeping it safe.

"I apologize again," Kagome said before retreating into her room. She'd gotten perhaps three hours of sleep before it was rudely interrupted. In the other room, she could hear Gojyo asking what happened. Hakkai explained in a quiet voice.

As she sat on her bed, she could see the boy Goku peeking in through the hole. She smiled at him, reaching toward her bag to search for some fruit. She held an apple out to him and was rewarded with a grin from him and abrupt silence in the other room as he came through the hole to take the offering. He breathed on it, then rubbed it on his undershirt before taking a large bite.

"Thanks!" he cheered with a full mouth.

She couldn't help but giggle. "You're very welcome," she said. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Goku shrugged and sat down cross legged on the floor in front of her. He acted like he was very young, but it was embarrassing to take clear notice to the fact that he had intelligent eyes of someone much older. He was hiding something, wasn't he? Either that, or she was missing something. And with such beautiful golden eyes, he had to be a youkai.

"I don't mind." Goku shrugged. Goku liked the woman. She gave him food without him even asking. He took another bite of the apple, waiting for her to ask her question.

Kagome thought carefully about how to word her question. It seemed like such an innocent question, really. Why it would be so hard to ask was beyond her. "Why didn't you all leave?" she asked finally just blurting it out.

Goku grinned again. He held out one hand and whispered his words of summoning, "Nyo boi," and his staff appeared in his hand. "'Cause if you didn't take care o' the bastard, we would'a." he said with surety.

Kagome blinked down at the boy. "May I see that?" she asked, indicating his staff. He was hesitant for a moment to allow her to touch it. No one but him ever touched it unless he was using it to beat the crap out of someone, which was often. Then he decided he didn't mind if she touched it so he held it up to her.

Kagome took it from him, surprised at the heavy weight of it. He had held it with just one hand, but it took both her hands to hold it, and she was straining. "Wow, it's very heavy," she breathed, setting it on her lap to help with the weight distribution.

She could feel the mystical properties of the staff resonating from its core. Seeing such an item, she wondered if it would be so bad to stay in this world for just a while. She would undoubtedly have access to so many artifacts with mystical properties, whereas at home she knew that she would quickly run out of things to examine—at least things that were genuine anyway.

"Is it really heavy?" Goku asked. He'd never found it to be heavy, but he did suppose a youkai strength and human strength would be different naturally. He looked around for a place to put the stem and seeds of the apple—he'd eaten the rest of it—and when he didn't see anything he went and tossed them out the window.

"Hm," Kagome ran one finger down the length of the staff until a tingling in her finger told her she was over the core of the youkai staff where its magic resided. "Would you like to see what makes your staff work?" she asked him, hoping he would want to. She definitely wanted to.

"I guess," Goku said, sitting on the floor again to watch. He could hear the others talking quietly in the next room, too low for her human ears. They were trying to figure out what they were going to do about Kagome. He ignored them—Kagome was a nice lady. They didn't need to do anything about her.

Kagome smiled and began the trick Kaede had shown her how to do. It was a way of disenchanting artifacts—truthfully. But Kagome, being a creative and aspiring young woman from the modern world of Japan, had expanded on the trick, crafting a way to manipulate magic in such a way that she could examine the properties of the enchanted artifact, yet not disenchant it.

She wrapped a piece of her aura around the magic core and Goku watched as she began pulling a glowing orange orb from the staff. She held one hand over the orb and her free hand began pulling at the orb. Smaller pieces broke off until she had seven marble sized pieces of the orb. One of the marbles seemed to have a glowing string that connected to Goku, confusing him.

"These are what make the staff work." Kagome told him. She pointed at each one and explained, "Life and death were both cast on it to balance one another. Purity, this piece of the core here, was cast on it. There's a spell for length, and a spell for summoning. This sixth piece of the core is a summon release, and the last piece of the core seems to be a piece of the original creator's soul. I'm not sure why the last piece is connecting to you though, unless you made the staff. Did you?"

She began putting the pieces of the core back together like a puzzle and then carefully put the core back into the staff. She handed it down to him and he looked at it carefully. It appeared be the same as before. He whispered the summon release words and then glanced back up at her.

"I don't remember making it." He admitted, although before the cage he couldn't remember anything. He could only remember the cage, and then Sanzo showed up. He watched her attempt to cover a tired yawn and then scrambled to his feet. "Thanks for the fruit, Kagome-san!"

Kagome laughed lightly as he scampered to the hole in the wall. "You're welcome," she told him as she climbed under her covers this time. Hopefully no one else disturbed her precious few hours of sleep. She may have been unconscious for a week, but that by no means left her awake after a morning of walking, an hour or so of riding in a jeep, and an evening talking to Kagura.

She was sure now that Naraku was in this world—how else would someone have known who she was or that she was the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama?

xXx

Morning brought a strange glow, mostly because Kagome was still tired and looking at it through glazed eyes. Kagura wasn't around to be mad at Kagome for the rather large hole in her inn wall, thankfully, but she managed to get out of the inn just in time to see the men she'd met the night before packing their things into their jeep.

The boy, Goku, wasn't with the other three. She approached the monk, to bid him and the others farewell and to—hopefully—get directions south. She was beginning to figure out that it might not have been so smart to just let that youkai go. She should have followed him back, although she wasn't looking forward to another meeting with Naraku so soon.

As she approached, she listened to the stringed conversation between the men, although the monk didn't appear to have anything to say to the others. He simply stood there, clearly annoyed with something that may or may not have been beyond his control.

"The first time we get to a town that we aren't immediately attacked in, Goku goes missing," Gojyo grumbled. "You know, that kid's in for a severe beating when we find 'em!"

'Oh, no,' Kagome thought, 'That sweet boy is missing?' Worry was first and foremost in her mind as she thought of how nice he was to her, and how quick to defend her he seemed to be. Plus, he showed complete trust in her to let her examine his staff like he had.

"Now, now," Hakkai said quietly, in a firm yet teasing tone of voice, "It isn't the first time our group has gotten into trouble."

"No, but the brat is the cause of most of it," Gojyo barked.

As Kagome stepped up beside the monk, she was once again painfully aware that she had yet to learn his name. She felt almost bad about that. Really, she met him quite a few hours ago already, and she had no inkling of what his name could be. "Um, excuse me," she said softly, feeling the heat rising to her face as the image of him without his robe top on came to her unbidden.

'Damn, he looked really toned under all that fabric, and that skin tight fabric he wore… it left nothing to the imagination… really now! Get it together girl, this is really inappropriate thoughts here,' she bit her lip, forcing down the blush that so wanted to show. 'Ha, I bet that jerk Sesshoumaru is scrawny under all _his_ armor!' Where that thought came from, she really didn't want to know.

The monk turned to look at her, and she couldn't bring herself to look in those crystal blue eyes. They were amazing. She didn't even know that color of blue _existed_ until now. Even Kouga's light blue eyes weren't that beautiful shade. And the blush came back.

"Yes?" the monk asked, his tone crisp. Automatically she was put on edge by his tone—she knew there was something wrong with people who had gorgeous eyes! None of them were entirely right in the head. Sesshoumaru, gorgeous gold eyes, serial killer; Inuyasha, awesome amber eyes, born clueless to any form of intimacy; unknown monk, beautiful blue…no, they had to be purple in such a shade… eyes, speaks in a cold sarcastic drawl.

She fisted her hands and forced herself to look into those eyes. "I was just wondering if you could point me south."

He scowled down at her, and she returned the glare with a heated one of her own. He pointed in what appeared an entirely random direction and, figuring he would point her the wrong way, she went in the opposing direction.

Sanzo rolled his eyes at her. Idiots were born, not made, he thought. And he attracted them like flies. He'd thought last night that she was something special, since she seemed to be a living legend. But when he woke, he only found that she was a snoring woman in a room next to his.

Right after that, he'd found out that Goku was missing, along with his armor and some of their rations. He'd decided if Goku was going to take off, then he could catch up. He was tired of all the hassle and just wanted to kill the idiots who were trying to revive a really big, bad youkai.

He did point the woman south. It was her own fault she walked in the opposing direction. He got into the jeep, and whacked Gojyo in annoyance because he opened his mouth to speak. It didn't take long to convince Gojyo and Hakkai (at gunpoint) to leave Goku behind.

Goku would catch up. Sanzo was sure of it.

Goku, however, was several miles south of the town Sanzo was leaving. He'd decided to check things out at the place by the waterfall that the youkai had mentioned, so after the others were asleep he'd got his armor on and took some food, then left.

He'd thought he would be back before Sanzo and the others left, but now, he knew they would leave him behind. He strained against Kougaiji's attack, a growl escaping his throat. "What'd'ya want Kagome-san for?" Goku demanded, shoving Kougaiji back. Kougaiji flipped backwards and came to rest in a ready stance.

Kougaiji frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just got here."

Goku twisted his hands on his staff, pulling it apart into its three-piece form. He was about to jump in to attack again when he sensed something coming at him at a hasty speed, like a projectile. Immediately he jumped away and looked down in surprise to see a long spike that would have hit him and likely impaled him had he not moved.

Even Kougaiji looked surprised, but he hadn't too much opportunity to remain that way before he too was dodging a spike of his own. More spikes came at Goku and Kougaiji before the two of them found themselves back to back. And yet neither could see their attacker.

He revealed himself, appearing out of seemingly nowhere, cloaked in white robes that looked too much like Sanzo's to be comfortable, except his long black hair and gleaming red eyes assured Kougaiji and Goku that this creature was not Sanzo.

He stepped forward, an insane gleam in his eyes. "Do you have it?" he inquired, his voice like a banshee's screams. "Do you have the jewel?"

"What jewel?" Kougaiji snapped in confusion.

The creature, who could not be a monk despite he wore the robes of one of the Sanzo's, sneered, "The Shikon no Tama. Where is it? Where is the Guardian?"

Goku readied himself for battle. He didn't spend all night walking to this place, only to find that the youkai who was supposed to be waiting at sunrise wasn't there, and then have Kougaiji show up, and then pick a fight with Kougaiji out of frustration, only to have that fight interrupted by some guy in monks robes. No, he would have vengeance for this outrage.

"Ya bastard, what th' hell d'ya think ya are, ya freak show!" Goku hollered.

The creature snickered. "I am Ouni, once an incarnation of the creature Naraku. Now that I have no master, namely Naraku, to serve, I find a new mistress in Gyukumen. Lady Gyukumen was grateful for my knowledge, as she can cast aside the worthless and utilize my knowledge."

Kougaiji swore violently, but Ouni didn't give him a chance to let anyone know what made him so mad. From inside Ouni's sleeves came spikes, and Goku realized the creature was turning his arms into those spikes, launching them, and re-growing them. He too swore violently, especially when one clipped his thigh and sent him sprawling.

Goku was sure the next spike headed his way was going to impale him, but Kougaiji grabbed him and sped off. He was slowed considerably with Goku's arm around his shoulder and his arm around the other guy's waist, but as he explained breathlessly, "You're my kill. Fuck, what does that bitch think she's doing?"

Goku said nothing. His leg really hurt, and it was going numb. The only explanation he had was poison. Ouni followed them, spikes hurdling in their direction, almost as if Ouni was herding them someplace. Goku didn't like it.

Again Kougaiji swore as he raced through the woods. He had seen it too; they were being led someplace.

xXx

'Great, I'm officially lost, and I _know_ I have been walking for hours and miles now,' Kagome thought. She'd left the town long ago and lunchtime had come and gone, but there was no sign that she was getting anywhere. She'd found a forest and gone into it, but when she found a stream that fell into a waterfall, she groaned miserably. The 'waterfall' was about three feet high.

She groaned and slumped beside the supposed waterfall. Maybe if she simply sat there for a long time Kagura would come find her and give her wonderful news that she found a portal to take them home, or at least her. Of course, then the image of Rin came to her mind and she of course felt bad because she couldn't leave all alone in a world with insane youkai.

She took out some dried meat strips the old man had provided her and after inspecting them for signs of grossness, mold mainly, she pushed it in her mouth to start chewing on it. It was tough at first, but then softened as she chewed and it mixed with her saliva.

It was rather bland tasting, she thought. It could have been better with some spice or something. She hoped Rin was okay. If she knew where Rin was, she'd go right to the little girl. But she didn't. So she kind of couldn't.

Deciding that now was a perfect time to once more test out her soaps, she took her clothes off, stripping down to her undergarments and tank top only, and climbed into the cold water. It was chilled, but not icy at least. She knew what it was like to bathe in ice water, after bathing in the snowy mountain glacier springs once in Feudal Japan. So this, she could stand.

She scrubbed herself off and used the three foot waterfall to rinse her hair of the soap. She was just getting out of the small pool of water when crashing movement attracted her attention. She threw her skirt on and swept her bow up into her hands, an arrow held between her teeth and one already knocked to the string.

The laughter she heard was recognized immediately. It belonged to Ouni, and she could definitely remember the day he showed himself as an incarnation of Naraku. He was supposedly created especially for Miroku, and flowing through his veins was miasma not blood. His attacks were poisonous.

It sounded like Ouni was chasing something. She stood her ground as spikes began to fly into her tiny clearing as Ouni got closer, only putting up a barrier just as Kaede had taught her to do before she passed away. The barrier disintegrated the poisonous spikes before they could even get to Kagome.

The ones he was chasing was Goku and another person, Kagome quickly found out as they came into the clearing. The other person was half carrying Goku, and Goku looked pure green under his gold crown and mop of brown hair. When that person stumbled Goku went sloshing into the pool of water.

Kagome guessed Ouni must have known his prey had fallen, because she could feel his aura slow down to a torturous walk, and yet he was in the clearing in seconds. The other person growled in frustration and went fishing for Goku, snapping, "Get out of here, Human!"

She ignored the man, facing Ouni, her bow pulled taut. "Geeheehee! My little miko, or I should say, my ex-master's little miko, but now you are my little miko, because I am the one searching for you now! You have the jewel, give it to me!"

Kagome pushed her purification power into the arrow until it glowed a bright pink that was almost blinding. "Why should I?" Kagome asked, voice muffled by the arrow in her mouth, knowing even if she _wanted_ to, she couldn't. She simply didn't have it to give. Not that she had any intention of letting Ouni know that. "Did Naraku come through the black fire?"

Ouni's sharp teeth gleamed as he smiled a vicious smile. "Only Ouni and little miko come through! You will give me the jewel, so Ouni can give it to mistress to make wish!"

He stepped forward menacingly, but she loosed her arrow. It hit him in the heart area and his lower body exploded on contact, although it reformed within a few seconds. He was left naked, his clothing nothing but shreds. She knocked her second arrow. "Leave, Ouni! Or the next ones for your head, and you _won't_ fix it."

He heeded the warning and took off; she knew he wouldn't come back. Ouni had proven he would not fight naked back when they first met him. She set the bow and her arrows down and turned to where the man held a shivering Goku in his hands. The man didn't look as though he knew what to do now.  
"Set him down. I'll have a look." Kagome said, and he complied. "He was hit with Ouni's poison spike attack, wasn't he?" she asked. She had her answer in the form of a bloody tear in Goku's jeans. He was bleeding black blood from the wound.

"Kagome-san," Goku groaned as she touched the wound. She retrieved her nearby bag and from it she extracted her dagger. That morning she'd tossed her dagger in it rather carelessly. "Kagome-san, that guy," Goku whimpered and she felt bad for him. She knew Ouni's poison was unpleasant. Miroku had been sick for weeks.

She took the dagger and carefully used it to cut away the pant leg and reveal the wound. "Who are you?" the other man questioned, clearly confused.

"Kagome, and you?" Kagome greeted him pleasantly yet distractedly as she placed the back of her hand on Goku's forehead. He was very warm, yet he was shivering. Before any chatter, she knew what needed to be done. She didn't wait for the man's response before speaking to Goku. "Goku, listen to me now, okay, sweetie?"

His golden orbs tried focusing. The man said, "If you remove his diadem, his healing power will multiply."

"N-no," Goku insisted. "Kougaiji, no… I won't hurt Kagome-san."

Kagome said quietly, "You won't hurt me, I promise. I just need you to stay still, and stay calm. I know it will hurt, but can you do this?" Goku tried answering but his body started seizing up and he couldn't think straight to give an answer. "Hold his body down," Kagome ordered, "as much as you can."

She couldn't wait any longer. As the man, Kougaiji, held Goku down as much as he could, she grabbed Goku's wounded leg and took her dagger, slicing the wound open deeper to help it bleed. Goku moaned in pain. But she forced herself to forget his pain as she lowered her lips to the wound on his outer thigh, sucking out both blood and poison, frequently spitting out black blood.

Her body would purify the poison, but it was still pretty gross to have blood and poison in her mouth.

When his blood started pouring out of the wound a safer red color, she placed her hands on the flesh of his thigh, pouring out purifying powers. He'd stopped seizing up, but now his body went on defense mode, and his very blood fought against her power. She had to keep her power from fighting back, or it would purify him, and all she wanted was to purify the poison that had spread.

Before she could get very far using her miko power, she heard a scream emitting from her mouth, and it was as though she were detached from herself to listen. She felt pain in the shoulder Naraku had bitten. It was a pain unlike anything she had ever felt before, and out of the corner of her eye she could see black lightning crackling out of the wound, licking at her flesh, absorbing her miko power before she could even send it into Goku.

Immediately she pulled back and fell onto her haunches, breathing heavily. The lightning continued to crackle on her shoulder and before she knew what had happened, she'd fallen unconscious.

Kougaiji swore again. This really wasn't his day. Or, even week. First, while he, Yaone, Dokugakuji, and Lirin were going to find Sanzo and his party to pick a fight for the sutras that Kougaiji needed to get for Gyukumen so she could revive Gyumaoh, some little girl suddenly fell out of a black hole about six feet above Kougaiji's head, knocking him down. She wasn't hurt, but the black hole disappeared very quickly after her arrival, leaving a young human girl in Kougaiji's lap.

She'd blinked herself awake before looking at Kougaiji, and strangely enough rather than being scared of him because he was youkai, she attached herself to his waist, crying about 'Sesshoumaru-sama'.

Dokugakuji of course found this intensely amusing, but when Yaone went to attempt prying the girl away from Kougaiji, she became suddenly fearful and clung tighter. Dokugakuji then tried peeling the strong girl away, but she cried and wouldn't let go. Lirin couldn't even coax her away, and Kougaiji wasn't without honor, so he wouldn't just shove her away.

Instead, he tried talking to her, and it seemed to work. She stopped crying and chirped responses to every question he asked. Her name was Rin, and Sesshoumaru-sama let her follow him around and he took care of her, making sure she always had food and clothing. Sesshoumaru-sama protected her from scary humans. Then the black fire captured her and the Lady Miko Kagome and Sesshoumaru-sama, so Rin followed them but then she lost them and that was when she fell on Kougaiji.

The week hadn't gotten better after that either. They tried leaving Rin at a human village, but she wouldn't stay. She followed them, and when they took off running, they found very quickly they simply had to double back when they heard her screaming. For some reason, youkai had surrounded her, almost as if she had something the lesser youkai desired.

They'd been forced to let her follow after that, but Kougaiji was most pressed, since she insisted on being by him at all times, questioning him about everything and anything whether it was alive or not. Needless to say, he had wanted to pull his hair out, and so he'd taken off from his group for some peaceful alone time.

The waterfall was where he went to cool his head, which obviously hadn't worked well, since Goku was there. Then the crazy poison youkai showed up, and now this weird human…

Life was too complicated sometimes… But still, Goku's life was Kougaiji's and no others. It took only a few seconds to decide what he would do. Since at present he had no clue where Sanzo and his party were, he lifted Goku up and decided to take him back to his group. Surely his alchemist, Yaone, could do something. He would return for the girl, or at least that had been his plan after leaving Goku in the care of Yaone, the child Rin wanting to help in any way.

Dokugakuji sent him a questioning glance, but he didn't respond. He went back for the woman, but she was gone, and there wasn't a trail to follow. Almost as though she disappeared…


	7. Part seven

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part Seven

Kagome groaned as she sat up and immediately after that she shrieked loudly. Kagura was a very pretty demon but definitely not Kagome's first choice face to see upon waking. "KYAA!" she yelled, much to Kagura's apparent displeasure.

Kagura covered her ears and scowled. Kagome did manage to stop shrieking but only after it was all out of her system and her terror had receded enough that she remembered she had asked Kagura for her help.

Kagome flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry," she apologized.

Kagura snapped her fan open and shut in irritation. "You should be. I found Sesshoumaru and asked if he saw anyone else in the black fire. He said he saw you, me, the child, and no one else."

"Where is he?" Kagome asked.

"How should I know?" Kagura frowned, "He took off. All you wanted was to know that, right?"

Kagome groaned. "Ouni is here too, Kagura!" She sat up and looked around for her things. Kagura had bandaged Kagome's shoulder up better than Kagome was able to manage, thankfully. It didn't hurt as much now, though she did wonder why it had crackled with black lightning.

"Ouni?" Kagura frowned. "He is your problem. He will not go after me. He was made to serve a master; he cannot operate alone or on his own orders."

"Great to know," Kagome groaned. "But I wanted to know where Sesshoumaru was so I could find him! I may need his help to get home."

Kagura snapped her fan open even as she pulled a feather from her hair. "Look, don't get to using your magic too much." And with that, Kagura took off. Kagome didn't even understand why Kagura was telling her not to use her magic.

She yelled after Kagura, "Why!?" Kagura didn't answer. She was gone.

With yet another groan, Kagome grabbed her bag of meager items. She strung her quiver on her back and grabbed her bow, and then chose an incredibly random direction to take off toward.

-

It had been hours and still no sign of Goku waking up. Kougaiji watched as the young human girl flitted back and forth from Goku to the fire where she would alternate between keeping a cool compress on Goku's forehead and stirring a soup she'd put together using apparently edible roots and other vegetation.

She really was a strange human. Her talk ranged in wide circles of an incredible knowledge of types of flora that existed in her world to how great her Sesshoumaru-sama was and how annoying Jaken-sama was. Not only did she have an incredible amount of knowledge as to what plants did what, but she also was learned in how the plants from their world worked, even better than Yaone.

At first, believing the child when she said she was from another world and that a black fire had gobbled her up was very difficult. Things like that just didn't happen. But when she started teaching Yaone how certain plants could cure poison, there was no help for it—they were believers.

Dokugakuji sat beside Yaone across the fire, watching as Lirin looked rather flustered over her position. It was rather amusing, but Rin seemed to have a sense of presence to her that was commanding—almost like Kougaiji. The others were following Rin's demands as though she were Kougaiji himself.

Rin had ordered Lirin to sit behind Goku and elevate his head; so his head was in Lirin's lap. Lirin was rather peeved, but a glance from Kougaiji got her to sit still. They all knew Goku was Kougaiji's kill and that it was for that reason that Kougaiji had brought Goku back so he could be healed.

"Sesshoumaru-sama tried to have Jaken-sama teach me about herbs and plants," Rin said rather randomly as she stirred the pot of stew and then hurried back to Goku. She took the cloth from his head and dipped it in a bowl filled with cold water. She wrung the cloth out and placed it back on Goku's forehead. "But Jaken-sama didn't know a lot so Sesshoumaru-sama got a foreigner from the mainland to teach me."

Something clicked for a second in Kougaiji's brain. "The mainland?" he asked the child, the first words he'd said all evening since ordering them to take care of Goku.

"Uh huh!" Rin continued. "Sesshoumaru-sama knows a lot about the mainland, and Gyukumen-sama taught Sesshoumaru-sama all of it! So Sesshoumaru-sama got Gyukumen-sama to teach me. I can't wait to find Sesshoumaru-sama and show him all I learned!"

"What does Gyukumen-sama look like?" Kougaiji questioned with a frown. The others were also perking their ears to the conversation at the mention of Gyukumen. Gyukumen… Lirin's mother…

Rin had to pause in mid-step to think for a moment about that question. "Well, she's real tall," Rin put her hand as high above her head as she could to emphasize that. "Jaken-sama says she's very pretty, but I don't think so. She has mean eyes and a big, round tummy. When I asked why her tummy was so big, she said it was 'cause she was carrying a baby." Rin tapped her chin in thought.

"A baby?" Kougaiji's frown only deepened, but Lirin suddenly piped up in a shocked voice.

"What was the baby's name? Did she have one for it?"

Rin nodded. "Rin asked if, I mean, _I_ asked if Gyukumen-sama would name the baby 'Lirin' if it was a girl, after me! 'Lirin' for 'Little Rin'. And I asked Gyukumen-sama to let Lirin grow up really nice and marry Sesshoumaru-sama so he's not alone anymore! But that was two years ago and Gyukumen-sama returned to the mainland to have her baby." Rin turned back to her stew.

They were about to ask Rin more questions, but she suddenly looked up and stared off into the darkness surrounding their camp almost as though she heard something none of them did. A few seconds later, the 'sound' reached the ears of the youkai present and they had to wonder of the hearing of a human.

It was singing…

"In the shadow of the moon…" the voice was beautiful and as clear as perfect glass. It sounded like someone was dancing as they walked. "She danced in the starlight… whispering a haunting tune, to the night. Velvet skirts spun round and round, fire in her stare, in the woods without a sound, no one cared…" Something was jingling, almost like beads clicking against each other.

"Kagome-sama!" Rin squealed happily and took off before anyone could stop her.

With a growl, Kougaiji took off after her. She was so difficult for a human! She was too cute to kill (the fact that he wouldn't do it without reason being set aside) and too adorable to leave alone to die. He was startled momentarily to hear her say the same name of the woman Goku wanted to protect but it was only momentary before he took off once more.

Rin's tiny feet carried her across the hard ground in a quick pace, but then her feet were running on air as Kougaiji picked her up by the back of her kimono. "Gak!" Rin complained. "That's Kagome-sama! She can help me get Sesshoumaru-sama back!"

"How do you know it's the same person? Some people can sound alike!" Kougaiji growled, trying very hard to keep his concern hidden. Really, this human was annoying but it was so easy to get attached to her in such a small amount of time.

"Rin-chan!" the voice seemed startled, but it was the same one that had been singing. "She knows its me because I'm the only one who knows that song!"

Rin looked back at Kagome cheerfully. "Kagome-sama!" Kougaiji set the child down and watched as she raced over to the woman who Goku wanted to protect. "Kagome-sama I fell out of a hole and landed on Kougaiji-sama! He helped me find you!"

Actually that was the biggest inaccuracy… they didn't help her do anything except worm her way into their hearts. Dang brat. She was worse than Lirin; Lirin had all her charm, but she was hot-tempered and ate constantly. Rin had all that charm, was polite, and ate only when she needed to (and she found her own food!).

Kagome reached out a hand to take Rin's. "That was very nice of them! Now we just have to find Sesshoumaru-sama and I'm sure we can go home."

"Yup!" Rin cheered but paused before backing away from 'Kagome'. "Wait… you never call him by his proper title! How do you know Kagome-sama's song?!" Suddenly suspicious, Rin ran behind Kougaiji's leg and Kougaiji found himself on edge.

Right before his eyes, 'Kagome' began to shift and then took the form of the creepy monk from earlier that day. Even her clothing changed. The creature laughed wickedly. "Ouni knows because Ouni watched the witch dance once! Plus, Ouni absorbed the foolish miko! Ouni has her knowledge now; what she knew, I know! Ah ha ha! You, brat, had the jewel last didn't you?"

Rin reached into her obi as though making sure something was secure there. "That's right! And it's not your jewel, so I won't give it to you! Sesshoumaru-sama says that if anyone other than Kagome-sama wishes on the jewel, the wish won't be pure!"

"Oh, mistress knows about that," Ouni laughed. "But that doesn't mean it can't be wished on! And mistress does not care that the wish will not be pure. She will have someone else turn themselves to stone to make her wish! It will be beautiful, the destruction this world will see!"

Rin glared at Ouni. "What if she makes you wish? You'll be the one who turns to stone!"

Kougaiji was very confused at that point. They were speaking his language, but at the same time their words were incredibly cryptic. "It is my purpose to do as my mistress tells me!" Ouni laughed but Kougaiji didn't stay. He grabbed up the little girl and took off running back to camp. For some reason, Ouni didn't follow, but Kougaiji had Dokugakuji grab Goku and Lirin and Yaone quickly pack up camp anyway.

They were going to get out of the area as fast as possible. But Rin was upset and Kougaiji thought he knew why. That insane poisonous creature had said he 'absorbed' Kagome, and Kagome seemed to be a person Rin really held in high regards.

-

"Alright, Kagome," Kagome admitted to herself as she walked for the 'umpteenth' day in a row in a completely random direction. "I—am—lost." She saw a very large boulder up ahead and could have sworn she'd passed it at least six times in the past few weeks.

But at least one good thing had come of the past few weeks. She'd learned to recognize a few edible plants. Needless to say she was thinner than ever as she burned calories. "Well," she said optimistically, "at least when I get back home, I'll be able to market the new 'weight loss' scheme!"

In the past three weeks, Kagome had pretty much done nothing but walk one way or another in a seemingly futile method to finding human civilization. She'd seen more land than she ever traveled in all her years walking around with Inuyasha. She got up at dawn and started walking and she stopped and made a meager camp at night.

Mostly she attempted to follow either beaten trails or water sources and yet after three weeks she'd still had the worst luck ever because she somehow managed to miss village after village. Either that or she was suddenly the last human in the entire world. She didn't want to think too much about that at this point; after three weeks she was so lonely that even Naraku would be company.

Thus, she attempted to find pleasant thoughts to occupy her time. Just as every other day, she found herself trying to imagine what she would do if she came across Sesshoumaru. Or, rather, what she would do _first _. It was inevitable what she would do, but deciding if she wanted to kick the stupid, arrogant, evil youkai in the butt for leaving her to die first or whether she should request his help first was a touch choice.

The stream she'd been following led her to a wider road than she'd seen in a couple weeks so she took to that road and started walking on it, eating some wild carrots she'd fought a bunny for. Actually, the rabbit gave the carrots up pretty quick… Kagome was much larger than the creature. She'd washed them in the stream to get the dirt off.

As she stumbled down the road, she hummed to songs she knew from her world simply because they made her feel less alone in the world. She did have a fantasy or two that she would run into some knight in shining armor who would take her to their town and feed her a huge meal but other than that she was pretty much on her own.

A few scraggly looking youkai had attacked her in the past couple weeks, but again there wasn't much to be noted. She'd warned them if they attacked her she wouldn't hold back and they had attacked her anyway, so she purified them. Of course… she had only three arrows left now, so she needed to really pick her shots, or else figure out how to make arrows out of blades of grass or tree bark.

Following the big beaten road, she managed to make it to a village. She almost screamed in joy at the thought of human communication, contact… socializing… she lived for being social. Her brother laughed at her for such 'out-going' behavior, but she didn't mind.

"People!" she laughed and leaned against a tall building. "Oh, joyful happiness!" Some passersby gave her a weird look and she waved. "I love people! I love civilization! I love mankind!" 


	8. Part eight

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

* * *

Part eight

Kagome eagerly swung her hands and skipped into the village. She received many odd looks from the villagers but ignored them. "Hello, citizens of the community!" she called out. Her stomach growled and she decided to indulge in real food for once. Her nose was a crafty fool that led her to an inn. She was trouble in white clothes, but neither she, nor the locals had yet realized that.

xXx

Kougaiji was almost at breaking point. Wasn't Lirin enough? No, he also had to deal with Goku. He was almost frantic to return Goku (or kill him) to the Sanzo group, but Rin started to cry every time Kougaiji started chanting Goku's death. She clung to Goku saying he was her 'friend'.

Really, it was a strange curiosity how a human even managed to get under Kougaiji's skin like he had. It was a job and a half just keeping himself his regular cool self. He could feel himself getting hotter and hotter, ready to explode like a volcano and take his frustration out on a certain monkey.

Thankfully Dokugakuji and Yaone were used to his constant disappearances (which became increasingly more frequent since Rin landed on his head). So it wasn't entirely out of place for Kougaiji to simply leave with no explanation to where he was going. Lirin always questioned his disappearances, but he could evade her questions if he came back with food.

It was becoming more obvious that Goku would be the same. Give the boy some food and he was friends-for-life… probably a hazard. Kougaiji could poison the food—he even tried it in the first week when Goku's questions became annoying—but Rin somehow always found an antidote.

And there Goku went again, exploding into a multitude of questions involving the whereabouts of Sanzo, questions on why the sky was blue, questions on where Kagome-san could be since he didn't think she was eaten as Rin said, and questions on the members of the group in general.

On the other hand, Goku did become something of an asset in the past two weeks. He and Lirin were so similar that they could argue the merits of food together (and break into earth shattering fist fights when they disagreed) and no one really was bothered too much.

Unfortunately, Lirin had a wide jaw. She saw Goku as a fellow food-lover and anyone who loved food as much as her could _only_ be a semi-good person. She did think he would be a better person if he didn't disagree with her though. "Green apples are better!" Lirin yelled at the top of her lungs.

Kougaiji wanted to childishly stick his fingers in his ears. How long had the two been arguing over apples? He couldn't count the hours anymore. Since they woke up. It was getting to be late in the day. Very late.

"Red apples are better," Goku growled back at her. Neither of them was watching where they were walking. They were glaring lightning bolts at each other. Of course, at first it had been rather awkward having the 'enemy' along for the ride. But Goku proved to be dangerous only when provoked.

"Green apples are," Lirin began only to be cut off.

"BITTER!" Goku shouted. "Green apples are bitter! Red apples are sweet! You're a green apple!"

"Oh yeah?" Lirin demanded, clenching her fists into balls. "Well you're a red apple!"

Kougaiji felt his shoulders slump. Dokugakuji laughed under his breath. "Kou, you know it's like they're a match made in heaven."

Kougaiji glared at his servant and friend. "Or a match made in hell put on earth to nag me." He amended. That even brought a chuckle out of Yaone. Ahead of them several feet was Rin. They were walking through a large field filled with yellow flowers. Rin was creating a bouquet of flowers.

"Rin-chan, don't go so far out!" Yaone called. She cast a glance at Kougaiji before trotting ahead. Rin had grown used to Yaone worrying about her and called Yaone a disguised version of Jaken-sama, whatever that meant.

Dokugakuji said quietly, "Are you sure going back to the castle is a good idea?" They were on their way back to the palace. There was something Kougaiji had to verify once they were there. It was something he would find in the historical records.

"No, I'm not." Kougaiji frowned. "But I did remember something I want to check on."

Dokugakuji glanced at Rin who was dirtier than a street rat. "Does it have something to do with her?" Kougaiji only shrugged. He wasn't going to give that up just yet. If he was wrong, he didn't want others to know about it. He still had his pride to think about.

Kougaiji turned at the sound of an explosion and strangely found himself unsurprised to what he found. Lirin's fist had created a crater in the ground at least two feet deep and Goku was blowing a raspberry at Kougaiji's half-sister. As Lirin pulled her fist out of the ground, Kougaiji noticed a large smoke cloud rising from a village in the far distance. Didn't they just go through there?

xXx

"Kyaa!" Kagome yelped as she was tossed into a cell. "Hey! It wasn't my fault!" she called to the guards who simply ignored her. She groaned as the cell door clanged shut. Really it wasn't her fault. The old man didn't give her money, and she hadn't remembered she was broke until after she ate.

Was that any reason to send a squad of city guards after her? She did offer to wash dishes. She guessed if the soapy water didn't make the dishes so slippery, she wouldn't have dropped the stack of plates (which shattered on impact no less). And if the beefy inn-keeper hadn't started to attempt roughing her up for dropping the dishes, there would have been no need for her to defend herself.

She wasn't really sure how the inn caught on fire though. That was a mystery.

"He-y!" she called, shaking the bars uselessly. They were pretty tough bars, and though Kaede had taught her a few tricks here and there, she unfortunately never got around to teaching Kagome how to teleport or melt or bend metal. Now there would be a useful trick of the miko trade.

She slumped down. At least her belly was full. She did need to figure out how to get out of her cell though. She could picture her brother smirking at her for getting captured, but then remembered Naru didn't know about her universe-traveling.

She wondered what her family was doing at that time. Naru was probably still in the center of Tokyo running his computer based business and totally forgetting that he had a family on the northern outskirts of Tokyo. Souta was probably working on perfecting his soccer kicks. Mama was taking care of the shrine using money that Naru put in a bank account for her—the profit of his business. Grandpa was probably on another trip to visit his northern friends.

She sighed. This was so not the dream vacation. And the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. Inuyasha was no where to be found… so who would save her this time?

Well, she could use her miko power and blast a hole in the stone wall behind her. Feeling inside her for that power, she had to pause. What…was…that…? Spiraling around her miko power was a web of strange cold threaded power not her own. As she pulled on her miko power, the web tightened and her shoulder crackled with lightning.

"Ung," she moaned as she grasped her shoulder. The more she tried to focus her miko power, the more the threaded web of power shrunk together and the smaller her miko power was compressed. She turned her Sight inward, a trick Kaede had taught her to do, and saw her miko power as a ball of bright pink. Surrounding the ball of bright pink energy was a gray-silver web made of nefarious-seeming energies.

That was what Kagura had meant… she must have noticed it somehow. Without heeding Kagura's warning, Kagome pulled on the pink energy more in the hope that she could break the web. That must have been what Naraku did when he bit her. Those threads must have been what she felt burning through her veins.

The threads continued to tighten so much that it became harder to breathe. Just as she was about to give up, she saw in her Sight a black flame that had been hidden beneath her power. What was that flame?

She thought for a moment that it could be what powered the threads and that if she could put the flame-like power out, she could be freed of the threads. She pulled harder at her energy and a scream tore out of her throat. She was unable to continue using the Sight to look inward, but she felt a small tendril of miko power come with her effort.

Using all the force she could, she thrust the tendril at the black flame hoping to purify it. It didn't work as she had planned. The flame latched onto the tendril and seemed to be fed by it. As the flame got larger, Kagome felt her right hand burning. She looked at it, mentally questioning why this had to happen. There, in her hand, was the black fire that had sucked them all up during the battle with Naraku.

Before she could even let out a scream, she was being sucked into that flame, and the pain stopped once she got into the world of paths. Her face still moist with tears, she brushed her right hand delicately. There was no indication that she had just held fire there.

How was this even possible?

She looked around her, trying to gauge which path she had come from, but unfortunately she seemed to be smack dab in the meeting point for all of them. There was even a large sign post that went higher than she could see, pointing down each path, but nothing was on any of the signs.

"Hello?" She called out, but her voice came back to her in an echo six times before dying out. Great, she thought. Now what?

She wiped her face on her sleeve before standing up straight. What other option did she really have? There was a path that somehow seemed more used than the others, so she walked that one and as she neared the end, she was engulfed in darkness and had there not been a sky scraper there, she knew she would have been dead.

Since there was a sky scraper of some sort, she only fell a few feet.


	9. Part nine

**Title: The Broken Portal Saiyuki Version  
**Author: Tsubasa Kya  
_Disclaimer__: This fan fiction is dedicated to feathergriffin who asked me to write it.  
Saiyuki—Don't own  
Full Metal Alchemist—Don't own  
YuYu Hakusho—Don't own  
Excel Saga—Don't own  
Ghost Hunt—Don't own  
Inuyasha—Don't own_

**NOTE**: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, guys. Thanks for waiting so patiently. I've been dreading writing this chapter, but finally it is out! FMA version next chapter is partially written, and GH version is being thought about... ES version gives me nightmares, and YYH version makes me want to scream... Oi, what a mess I've made! Hope you enjoy part nine of SSR version! - TK

* * *

Part nine

When she woke up, she was in a soft bed, though she didn't know where. It was very comfortable in comparison to anything she'd slept in for the past month. As she sat up, heavenly sheets made of satin slid down to her waist. A quick glance allowed her a sigh of relief as she was still fully clothed, though those beads were (as usual) slightly uncomfortable to lie on.

A glance around showed her promising signs of being back in her time. An alarm clock was plugged into a wall behind a western-style night stand, reading, "9:32 AM," in bright neon green lights. Beside the standing digital clock was a two-foot tall table lamp, also plugged in to an electrical outlet. She guessed it was one of those three-setting lamps, or else it just had a really weak light bulb because it was on but wasn't giving off much more than a night-light glow.

Across the room were more tell-tale signs of the modern era. She looked gratefully at them, reveling in the fact that she just might have made it home. She was pointedly ignoring the fact that she didn't have the Shikon no Tama (she sort of needed that in order to protect it, right?).

A tall, important looking desk was home to a particularly tidy looking computer that didn't appear to need to be plugged into the wall and definitely looked more portable than the clunky desktop computer her brother gave her as a present three years earlier. Naru _had_ offered to give her something newer to occupy her during her 'sick days' but she had declined the offer. She really didn't use the first one he gave her and wouldn't feel right taking a new one.

The desk was as tidy as the computer seemed to be, not a drawer out of place and the rolling computer chair was pushed neatly into place. A dresser made of polished mahogany (like all the other wood furniture was made of) was placed carefully out of the way beside a locking file cabinet. The bed she was lying in was a western-style four-poster bed, pushed neatly into the corner of the room for ample floor space.

A closet was marked with double mirror-doors. One of the doors was open to reveal neatly hung clothing (_ironed_ clothing, by the look of their well-kempt state). Space-saver drawers were lined along the bottom of the closet, and a shoe-closet hung on the rail beside the clothes.

She pushed back the white satin sheets, pleased to find she wasn't tied up and gagged. She'd woken up to find herself kidnapped enough times to realize that being tied up and gagged was a tell-tale sign of "Situation: Not Good". The bag the old man had given her was lying on the floor beside the bedside table. She and the bag were pretty much the only things out of place in the room.

It did seem like a slightly sad room to be in. The white walls held no pictures or hangings. It seemed like a very professional person lived there, one who cared nothing of personal items. _But_ on the other hand, it was a slightly sad, very professional room that seemed to belong in the _modern era_! And she wasn't tied up, gagged, and other than a strange marking on her right wrist that looked almost like a black flame licking up her arm in a vine-like pattern, she wasn't any different than she'd been a month ago.

Actually, that was inaccurate… a month ago, she had been preparing for a major battle with Naraku, so she really was in a sort of different position now.

She grabbed her satchel and pulled it over her shoulder, the beads of the strange gypsy-like clothes clicking a bit as she moved. The clothes had once been on the cuter side, at least until they became dirt stained and slightly bloody (young Goku's blood, for the most part was on the skirt).

If she _was_ home, she could finally take a real bath, eat some of her mother's wonderful oden, and maybe, _just maybe_ she could happily go shopping, do a bit of gossiping, and pry into the love-lives of her two younger brothers (especially Naru's! It was so fun to torment the seventeen-year-old!).

She went to the door that she assumed led out of the bedroom and tested the doorknob (a modern door that swung instead of slid, oh sweet doors). It wasn't locked—further proof that she must not be kidnapped. She carefully opened the door and poked her head into the room beyond, stretching her senses out for the presence of anyone else. Someone was in a room beyond the next one, but other than that, no one else seemed to be present.

As she entered what looked to be a living room, she noticed a very impressive, thin television mounted on the wall, a wide, leather couch that looked like it had never been sat on before, many electrical standing lamps, a neat stereo system, and many more modern objects of a carefully chosen nature. This room also looked very professional, but there was a single portrait hanging on the wall that she chose to indulge in viewing.

She crossed the room and found herself pleasantly surprised to be looking at a picture of herself with a few others, and she recognized all the other faces too! She stood in the middle of the picture, a proud seventeen year old wearing the school uniform as always. Her younger brother Naru stood (only fifteen, of course) beside her, not smiling as was normal for him _not_ to do. Her baby brother Souta was clearly the youngest in the photo, hanging off the back of a tall man who was older than Kagome by four years, making him six years older than Naru.

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a soft voice somewhere close by. There hadn't been anyone in the room earlier, that was for certain! A quick spread of her miko senses told her she definitely was alone in the room. No spirits, no invisible kidnapping demons, no humans…just her. So where was the voice coming from? It was too quiet to discern the words, but just loud enough to be an annoying murmur.

The door on the other side of the room was half-open. She tiptoed across the room and leaned against the wall. The closer she got, the easier it was to hear the other person and soon words could be picked out. She thought she ought to remember the voice, but she'd met so many people in her short nineteen years that she just couldn't recall it, and the person it belonged to couldn't be seen in the space of the open doorway.

"—showed up, of all places, on the roof. If I had not been in the office, I wouldn't even know. As it was, I had an experiment up on the roof that needed to be checked, and found her there." The person paused, and Kagome thought they might be talking on a phone or something. "Yes," they said and paused again. "No, it wouldn't be a problem. I can talk to her about it when she wakes up." The person was talking about her? Uh-oh, maybe she ought to just leave… but then again, she probably knew them judging by the photo on the wall with her, her brothers, and her brother's closest friend from college.

"Yes, I will. Goodbye," the person said and there was a BEEP noise, like a phone being turned off. She heard soft shuffling and knew there was no way to avoid her presence being found out, so she did the best thing she could think of and pushed the door open.

Kagome was both pleased and relieved to find out she knew the person walking toward the door. A smile lit her face. "Lin," she chirped, "of all the people!" Lin smiled one of those tiny smiles she knew was rare for the Chinese man. His straight black hair had grown a bit since the last time they saw each other two years ago, and she didn't find it surprising that she didn't recognize his voice. Two years was a long time, especially for her. She'd met more people in two years than most people did in their lives.

"Miss Kagome," he said, his hair falling to cover his right eye. He never seemed to fix that, or at least she'd never known him to fix it, however every so often it somehow ended up behind his ear only to fall in his face again. She had a faint suspicion it was magic, jokingly of course. "I am pleased to see you awake. Are you feeling alright?"

She recalled the phone conversation from the previous moment and knew it was going to be difficult to create a cover story as to why she was on a roof—unconscious most likely since the last thing she recalled was falling onto a skyscraper and nothing else. She couldn't exactly claim Alzheimer's like her grandfather could. "I am," she nodded. "Who were you talking to?" she questioned, hoping to get away from the 'health' questions before she ended up making up some insane story that successfully landed her in a mental ward.

"I just called Naru," he tilted his head slightly. "He is most interested to know why his delicate sister seems to have escaped from the hospital to be found unconscious on his company's rooftop. Your health worries him, Miss Kagome."

Kagome almost made good use of that pretty little vocabulary that Inuyasha was so fond of right then and there. She managed to hold that in and slapped an apologetic smile on her face, even as she thought of wicked things to do to her grandfather. 'I can just picture it! Grandfather probably went telling Naru I was in some hospital somewhere and now Naru probably thinks I am some escape artist or something as well as being a walking miracle!' she raged mentally.

"Sorry, Lin, I don't mean to be so troublesome," she apologized. It was on her mother's orders that they not tell Naru about her time-traveling days, especially since he was their main bread-winner for the most part with his computer company. Naru was practically a child prodigy, had graduated high school at a ridiculously young age, gone through college, and then with the help of some others like Lin, had gone into the computer business. He was in college already when Kagome was first pulled into the well, and her mother didn't want Naru worrying so they decided to hide it.

Unfortunately, that meant that Naru thought his big sister was frail and had impossible diseases. That also meant that his friends (like Lin) would think that as well. She hadn't seen Naru since the day she met Lin, either, so he would have grown up a lot from when the picture on Lin's wall was taken.

She felt like magically teleporting to her grandfather's side and whacking him with a rolled up newspaper, but sadly she didn't have any secret teleportation spells or devices (yet, but she was definitely thinking of investing!) on hand.

"Naru went home this week to spend time with you," Lin added, "but was informed rather belatedly that you were hospitalized. He said if he had known sooner, he would have come to the hospital to see you, as his inner-city apartment is not that far from the hospital you've been at," oh it wasn't, was it?

Kagome threw her lip out in a pout. She did wish she could go home and spend some time with him, but Lin probably was going to pack her up in a corndog roll and take her right back to the hospital she was 'supposedly' staying at. "I feel fine," she said. "Really, Lin, I'm a big girl you know. They said I was well enough to check myself out and so I did." If he never asked about how she ended up on a rooftop, so be it, she wouldn't offer the answer.

Again, Lin offered her a rare smile. "If you feel up to it, I can drive you back home."

She squealed and leapt towards him, hugging the tall, well-dressed man. She always knew there was a reason to like Lin. He didn't seem to ask too many questions! "Thank you, Lin! And when we get home, I'll make sure you get some of my mama's oden too!"

He laughed softly. "Just give me a few minutes and we'll take my van."

He left her in the room and she checked her bag to make sure all the things she'd had were still present. They were, but if Lin had checked her bag she was sure he would have asked why a hospital patient had a dagger of all things. (She was mental, she just refused to admit it.) Since he didn't ask, she figured he hadn't looked in the bag.

She smiled and waited patiently. The room she was in was Lin's kitchen and dining room. Like the rest of his apartment, it was nothing short of professional looking, with no knife or napkin out of place. A few minutes later and they were on the road. She remembered trips taking the subway to the inner city of Tokyo from the small rural-like community she lived in took almost all day, but with Lin driving a direct route that didn't snake all over the city before heading out to her transit stop, the drive was much shorter and they were there well before lunch.

She dragged Lin into the house, happy to be home. "Mama! Souta, Grandpa! I'm home!" she said, throwing the bag on the floor by the front door as Lin removed his shoes and placed them neatly by the front door.

Squealing was followed immediately by rushed feet and then a young figure practically bowled Kagome into the neighbors (talented…) but she managed to steady Souta before they could get hurt (or actually leave the house). "Big sister!" Souta laughed. "I knew it, I knew you were okay!"

Kagome winked at him, a silent sign that the boy wasn't to talk about the tiny ability she had to travel through time to some strange era where demons and half-breeds were rampant. "Nothing can keep me down!" she told him seriously.

"Naru's home, Kagome!" Souta giggled. "And," his voice became conspiratorial, "he brought his _girlfriend_!"

Kagome sighed happily. "Ah, sweet music to my ears," she said. Souta took a step back, noticed Lin, and squealed happily again before going to attack Lin. The tall man was prepared to catch the boy—Lin could probably remember the last time he was unprepared and he and Souta went flying down the shrine staircase!

"Darling?" her mother asked curiously, exiting the kitchen with a towel in her hands, wiping them dry. "Ah, Lin," she smiled at the man, "you're welcome to stay for lunch if you like. It's almost ready."

"Thank you, ma'am," he then shook his head, "is Naru available?"

"No, not at the moment. I sent him to town to pick up a few groceries," she glanced at Kagome, "and Grandpa is pretending to clean out the attic. He keeps saying there are spirits up there. Maybe you could convince him to come down?"

Kagome giggled. "Well, I can try," she promised. "After that, I hope you don't mind, but I need a bath before lunch!" Her mother agreed that would be a good idea. Before Kagome disappeared up the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Souta dragging Lin into the living room for some one-on-one with some random console game.

-

It was good being home, really it was. Kagome hadn't been home in so long that she could immediately tell what things had been changed and what remained as it always used to be. The stairs and upper hallway had been carpeted since her last time home. The upper hallway used to have a flower-print wallpaper, but the wallpaper had since been removed and the natural wood walls were all that remained, a light brown color and more friendly than she ever felt with the insincere wallpaper.

The old coo-coo clock that used to hang on the door to the attic wasn't there anymore, instead there was a serene painting of a bubbling brook. Souta's bedroom door was plastered with posters of his favorite cartoon characters and console games. Her bedroom door still had that single pressed daffodil bloom tacked to it, but nothing else. Naru's bedroom door had no adornments as usual, but he was way too serious for anything like that. The guest bedroom's door had an embroidery of the word "GUEST" in a simple rectangle frame on it.

She got a slight chill as she passed the guest bedroom, however, and that caused her to pause and stare at the closed door. She shook the feeling when she heard her grandpa's chanting drifting down to her from the attic through the slightly ajar attic stairwell door.

Kagome approached the attic door, calling up the stairwell. It was never good to sneak up on the man—unless of course it was a fun idea to have glue stuck in her hair (not a fun idea). "Grandpa, hey, come down!" she called.

"Oh, Kagome!" her grandpa's voice wafted down to her, sounding pleasantly surprised. "You should come up here. We could bond while we eradicate the spirits out of this attic."

Kagome giggled at her senile grandpa's words as she climbed up the steep stairs and into the drafty attic. Her grandpa, as usual, never changed. His outfit, consisting of the usual Shinto priest's attire, was slightly gray from the years of dust he was collecting in the attic. He had a kerchief tied to his face and a handful of paper scraps. Beside him was a bucket of his rather evil glue.

"Spirits huh, grandpa?" she asked him. He nodded solemnly. "Well, how about we use a very _special_ spell then, and get rid of all the spirits once and for all?" she asked him. His eyes lit up, and she knew that was why her mother sent her up there. She could do what none of the others could.

"Definitely," he nodded, "I would love for you and I to bond over the downfall of the evil spirits!"

She reached out her hands to her grandfather and he obediently put the scraps of paper down and took her hands. She stretched her senses out, grasping a sliver of her energy—frowning when her Sight showed the web still contained most of it—and prodded one of his slips of paper with the sliver. The piece of paper glowed bright pink and she could already sense the power of it spreading throughout the house. Ordinary people wouldn't ever feel that power—ordinary being her grandfather—but she'd used enough that the paper would remain glowing. By nightfall, the power would reach the basement and spirits and demons would feel quite discomforted, not that any would likely go into her shrine, of course!

"Ah!" her grandfather cheered and slapped the special piece of paper where he felt it would do best. It wouldn't really matter where he put it. After he'd secured the ofuda (at least he knew the proper writings even if he had no power), he slapped a few others in random places, 'for safety's sake,' and they were able to leave the dusty attic.

"Thank you, Kagome! You shall yet make a fine shrine maiden," he assured her, though she was definitely already a better priestess than he'd ever know. If she could just get rid of that damn webbing that surrounded her power! Just using that tiny bit of power cost her. She was sweating a bit, and the webbing felt like it was constricting her breathing. She didn't show it though.

"Thanks grandpa! I just got back, and Naru's friend Lin is here with Souta in the living room, though. I already checked him for spirits, and banished them all, so you won't have to."

Her grandpa nodded solemnly. "Yes, yes, you _are_ catching on, and so quickly. Well, I'm sure you want to take a bath, mm?" She nodded. "I won't keep you, but beware! I saw a spirit in the sink drain and haven't had a chance to banish it yet."

Kagome bit back the temptation to roll her eyes. "Don't worry, grandpa, I'll banish it," she assured him. "I wouldn't want any perverted spirits watching me bathe, after all!" He nodded yet again and bade her happy bathing before moving down the hall and to the first floor. Kagome made her way to the upstairs bathroom, again feeling a chill as she passed the guest room. It made her frown, but she ignored it knowing there was an air conditioner in that room. Perhaps the air conditioner was on, and the cool air was seeping out?

Either way, it was now bath time.

The bath was very relaxing and among the first time in a long time that she'd really gotten to reflect on everything that had happened since she'd last been home. Kaede had passed away, the big battle with Naraku had destroyed the well in the past (was it still there in her time? She hadn't thought to look), they all got sucked into the black fire and transported to another world, she'd met a lot of people and accidentally got involved in another 'evil guy trying to rule the world' plot, found out that somehow the black fire was inside her, and made it home though that part was as-yet unknown as to how she managed it.

It wasn't a world-class vacation by any means. She'd been searching for Rin and Sesshoumaru and a way home. Now that she thought more about it, she felt herself frowning. She had left Rin in that strange world, and who knew where Rin was or what danger she could be in? Sesshoumaru she couldn't give a damn about, he could stay stuck in a crazy world he didn't belong in for all she cared. But Rin was just a little girl, and besides that, Rin _should_ have the Shikon no Tama.

That, of course, meant that Rin would attract trouble. Ouni, one of Naraku's eviler incarnations, was there. She'd seen Ouni herself, and poor young Goku had been nailed with Ouni's poisons! She needed to get rid of that webbing around her powers so she could _do_ something, like go help Goku and find Rin.

Aside from all that, the Shikon no Tama really was her responsibility. She sighed and ran more hot water. How long had she been soaking already? The once-hot water had grown really cold.

First thing was the troublesome webbing around her miko power. She turned her Sight inward to view the web. It seemed almost as if the web was being built around her miko power like a fly being wrapped by a spider for dinner. She sighed. Kaede had taught Kagome all she knew, but Kaede hadn't exactly been an expert. Kaede's teacher, Kikyou, had died young therefore Kaede's knowledge had been rather limited.

Again she sighed when she realized she was wrinkling like a prune and hadn't yet really washed up. She pulled the plug and decided to just shower instead. As the tub drained, she turned on the overhead and stood under the spray, eventually slathering her hair and body with soap.

If she did manage to get rid of that webbing, how would she return to the place Rin was? The world of the black fire, where there were all those paths, had so many different paths leading everywhere, and she didn't really use the foresight to mark which one she'd come from. And if she did get back, how would she find Rin? The world was a big place, not to mention that itty-bitty fact that there was some crazy guy named Sanzo who had youkai pets and who made all the youkai go insane in some diabolical plot to probably take over the world.

Gesh, how many evil, diabolical people would she meet in her life who wanted to rule the world? It was bad enough in Inuyasha's world, where every bad guy they met wanted the jewel so they could take over. Now, her life was just complicated enough that not only was it insane, but it was filled with a literal place where she had many paths to choose from (maybe she could mark each path with paint?).

Finally clean, she got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. After brushing her hair and wrapping it in a towel, she made her way to her room where she would be able to dress. Finally, nice and regular clothes. She was happy for them. She pulled on a navy blue skirt and a yellow blouse, liking the way the colors seemed to go so nicely together. White knee-high stockings finished off the outfit and after brushing her still-damp hair one more time, she was able to go down for lunch.

By the time she got downstairs, she found that Lin had left. Apparently she'd spent longer in the bath than she'd meant to and it was early afternoon. She never got to tell him thanks, at least not really. Come to think of it, he really was _cute_. Hojou didn't have a peg on the board compared to Lin (who was cute, intelligent, a gentleman, and kind, though he _was_ under the impression that Kagome was a walking miracle so that sort sucked).

Kagome would have to get Lin's phone number from Naru. After all, who said the savior of the world couldn't have a boyfriend on the side? Maybe if they got close enough, Kagome could tell Lin about the whole time-travel business she had going on and he wouldn't think she was crazy… yeah, and chickens were migratory birds…

Naru had come home during the time it took to take her bath. She could hear him talking quietly with her mother in the kitchen. Souta was playing a racing game in the living room, and grandpa could be seen out the window in the front door sweeping the steps. As Kagome entered the kitchen, she noticed someone she figured she should have expected to see after Souta boldly proclaimed Naru having a girlfriend.

A young, pretty looking girl sat at the table, her eyes somewhat marveling at the kitchen even though Kagome couldn't tell what was so great about it. She wore a beige tee-shirt that was just a little ragged and somewhat baggy, ripped jeans. Her dark-brown hair was cropped around her head, and if it weren't for the fact that her face looked soft and hairless, her eyebrows were thin, and her eyelashes were long and curled, Kagome might have actually mistaken her for a boy.

The strangest thing was that Kagome would never have thought this girl could possibly be Naru's type of girl. For one thing, she already appeared everything the opposite of Naru with her rip-knee jeans and all. She didn't look like she was a tough gang-type of girl, but the clothes simply looked old.

What stunned Kagome most, though, was how this girl's eyes resembled Sango's so much, such a rich, chocolate brown. Kagome had _never_ in her whole life (and she'd met many people with many different colors of eyes) seen that shade on anyone except Sango. Not even Sango's brother had the same shade, as his was more of a black-brown than anything. Even the shape, wide, yet delicately shaped, was like Sango's.

Her mother looked up from her tea and smiled at Kagome. "Ah, darling, how was the bath?" she asked. Naru turned his head to glance at her and as he turned, Kagome caught the moment when his eyes met his female companion's. Something unspoken seemed to pass the two of them though what it was, Kagome had no idea.

"It was good," Kagome said, not admitting that she had so much trouble just washing up. Usually she could spend bath time practically meditating, but that time she wasn't able to. "Hey, Naru," she moved over to her brother, watching him stand with a fluid-like grace—oh, he could be the reincarnation of Sesshoumaru for all she knew!—and embraced him. "It's been a while since I've seen my baby brother," she teased him, looking up at his unfortunately taller-than-her self.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her, and the question irked her though she tried not to show it. He didn't know of her time-traveling. Being a boy-genius and child-prodigy, he had enough on his plate so her mother had decided to keep it a secret from him. The alternate option was to pretend she was deathly ill, and keep that illusion up around him!

As with all the Higurashi's, Naru was no different with the raven colored hair and striking midnight blue eyes. The only reason Souta had brown eyes was because he took after their mother (previously a member of the Tojuya family). His hair was kept cropped short, and a large clump of it hung over his forehead. Unlike the Higurashi's, Naru's skin was much paler, which wasn't easily explained since both their parents had tan skin like Kagome and Souta. However, when Naru was younger, he had gotten deathly sick (making it easier for people to believe Kagome could be sick all the time), and spent a lot of time in a hospital. Since then, he'd always had curiously pale skin.

Of course, her fashion-lost brother deemed to wear all black, all the time, making him look _even_ paler. Even now, he wore a black dress-shirt and black slacks. She supposed since he _was_ the bread-winner of the family, richer than she ever would be, she couldn't exactly argue with his sense of fashion.

"Narcissus Higurashi," she teased him while rolling her eyes at him, and as always he unconsciously flinched at the use of his full name, "I'm _fine_. Now, tell me about your trip to France." The last she'd heard of him almost a month ago (or maybe longer than that) was that he had a business trip to France.

Soft giggles stole her attention and she looked at Naru's companion. The girl was trying to shove her fist in her mouth and not laugh. Kagome realized she had yet to be introduced to the girl, and Naru glared at Kagome and then the girl and back again.

Finally the girl couldn't take it and she burst out laughing. When she was able to calm down enough to say what was so funny, she said, "_Narcissus_? As in the youth in Greek mythology who fell in love with his own reflection? Oh, it suits you!"

Naru glared harder at the girl. "Is there a _problem_ with my name, Mai Taniyama?" he demanded.

Kagome smirked. "I see she's well acquainted with your personality, Naru," she told her brother, taking a seat at the table. The two were a cute pair, indeed. Kagome's mother hid a smile behind her tea-cup.

**_╝╝╝This chapter will coincide with Chapter 3 of TBP: Ghost Hunt. Hopefully I can get that chapter out soon, too. Please review!_**


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